Ribes californicum

Hook. & Arn.

Hillside gooseberry

GrossulariaceaeFruit

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(c) christopher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, made into preserves, or dried for winter use.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (California)

How to Identify

A spiny shrub. It grows 1.4 m tall. The stems are erect and there are spines at the nodes. The leaves are roundish with 3 lobes. The flowers can occur singly or as 2-3 in a group. The fruit are round and red and 9-10 mm across.

How to Grow

Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. Requires a sunny position. Hardy to about -20°c. This species is closely related to R. menziesii. A polymorphic species. Plants can harbour a stage of 'white pine blister rust', so they 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 1–5°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 and grow on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting out in late spring the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, can be taken 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.