categoryZShrubs Shrubs List 
categoryZBroadleaf Broadleaf List 
categoryZDeciduous Deciduous List 
categoryZCrops Crops List 

GOOSEBERRY

Ribes uva-crispa

Gooseberries/Currants Family [Grossulariaceae]

Flowers:
month8mar month8march month8apr month8april month8may

Berries: berryZpossible        berryZgreen berryZgreenred  (fruit, edible, ovaloid 10-20mm diam)
berry8jul berry8july berry8aug berry8sep berry8sept

category
category8Shrubs
category
category8Broadleaf
category
category8Deciduous
category
category8Crops
status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8white
 
flower
flower8red
 
inner
inner8white
 
inner
inner8cream
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ5
reflexed
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8spines
3-spines
contact
contactZmedium
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 

22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Park, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
An untidy spreading rambler growing to 1m high, occasionally to 1.5m.


24th April 2012, Arnside, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The observed variation in leaf shape may be something to do with which garden variety has escaped where, for Gooseberry is described as a neophyte, with the size of the fruits (a berry) being much larger in some cultivars.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Park, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Here the leaves are of a slightly different shape.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Park, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves between 2 and 5cm across.


1st June 2014, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
Both leaves and spines are required to identify Gooseberry.


24th April 2012, Arnside, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The spines can occur singly or in pairs or in threes. When in threes be careful not to mistake it for any of the many Barberrys, which also have spines in threes, separated by 90° as top and woody bottom spines show.


26th June 2013, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
Many spines seem to emerge just beneath a leaf stem axil, or a main branch, but not all. The spines are very sharp! OUCH!!


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
A flower bud from above three leaves. The sepals are red and hairy.


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
An as-yet unopened flower showing the ovary covered in translucent pin-head hairs, the glands (pin-heads) being reddish. The sepal cup is yellowish-green and covered in non-glandular 'white' hairs. The five sepal teeth are pink-reddish, covered in the same non-glandular hairs as the sepal cup, as is the thinner petiole (flower stalk) behind everything.


24th April 2010, Wakefield, Yorkshire. Photo: © RWD
An opened flower adjacent to an as-yet unopened one. The flowers are in groups of 1 to 3.


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
The 5 pinkish-red sepals (with white or pale-greenish margins) are reflexed backwards. The 5 white petals protrude directly straight outwards forming a thin white circle when viewed from above. 5 filamets with anthers bent slightly outwards protrude beyond the petals, the slightly shorter single pale green-yellow style with discoidal stigma protrude slightly shorter than the anthers.


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
The central pale green-yellow style has long hairs radiating radially from it. The style tapers towards its discoidal stigma. Flowers 6 to 12mm across.


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
Another view showing relative heights of sepals, petals, stigma and anthers, in order of attained height. The hairs on the petiole (flower stalk) are densest. Note the slight bulge and even slighter bend in the flower stalk at that slight bulge, purpose or reason unknown to your Author.


8th April 2019, old quarries, Darcy Lever, Moses Gate, Bolton. Photo: © RWD
Your Author cannot tell whether the hairs radiating out from the style are also afixed to the white petals and/or the filaments of the anthers; it seems a close call. There are also hairs radiating out from those 5 filaments/stamens. The hairs may help to shield the developing fruit behind it from insects so it might make more sense if they were also attached to something at the other end. But they hairs might be stuff enough to prevent access to insects without being attached at both ends?


17th July 2015, Glenridding area, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
This specimen is in fruit, but most gooseberries don't turn red, they remain green. Sometimes during prolonged hot sunny weather the berries can become tinged reddish on one side. But most of these seem to be red all the way around.
[There are some Stinging Nettle leaves on the left amidst the Gooseberry leaves]


17th July 2015, Glenridding area, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
A few shaded ones are just orangey-green. They all have three(?) bits poking out from their extremity. The berries are ovaloid aka prolate spheroidal.


24th April 2012, Arnside, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Viscious spikes and leaves.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Park, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Park, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
The rear of a leaf, showing the strong veins beneath.


Not to be semantically confused with : Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), any of the two dozen or so Goosefoot's (Chenopodium genus) such as Red Goosefoot (Chenopodium rubrum), or any of the far fewer other Dysphania genus Goosefoot's such as Scented Goosefoot (Dysphania multifida) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

Not to be confused with : Coast Gooseberry) aka Spreading Gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum) [a plant with similar name belonging in the same Ribes genus]

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :


  Ribes uva-crispa  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Grossulariaceae  

Distribution
 family8Gooseberries/Currants family8Grossulariaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Ribes
Ribes
(Gooseberries)

GOOSEBERRY

Ribes uva-crispa

Gooseberries/Currants Family [Grossulariaceae]