Ribes menziesii

Pursh

Canyon gooseberry, Menzies' Gooseberry

Grossulariaceae Edible: Fruit 1,787 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Ribes menziesii, the canyon gooseberry, is a species of currant found only in California and Oregon.

Description

Deciduous shrub reaching 1.8 m tall. Hardy to UK zone 7. Hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils preferring well-drained conditions and mildly acid to basic pH. Requires full sun and prefers moist soil.

Edible Uses

This gooseberry can be eaten raw or cooked and is often scalded before eating. The fruit is also used for making jam.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Where It Grows

Fruit,

Cultivation

Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. Requires a very sunny position. Hardy to about -20°c. This species is often confused with R. lobbii. A very prickly plant, making picking the fruit difficult. R. californicum is a non-prickly relative. Plants can harbour a stage of white pine blister rust, so should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months of cold stratification at 0–5°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Under normal storage conditions, seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, grow on in a cold frame for their first winter, then plant out in late spring the following year. Take cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, in July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, can be taken November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.

Other Uses

None known.

Other Information

Grossulariaceae

Notes

A shrub. It grows 2 m high. Young twigs have bristles. There are usually 3 spines at the nodes. The leaves can be roughish with glandular hairs above. They are 4 cm across. They have 3-5 lobes. They are softly hairy underneath. The flower have purple tubes and the petals are white. The fruit are black.

Synonyms

R. subvestitum. Grossularia menziesii. (Pursh.)Cov.&Britt.

References (4)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994) (As Grossularia menziesii)
Fl. Amer. sept. 2:732. 1813-1814
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 563
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/