Ribes irriguum
Douglas
Idaho gooseberry
(c) Daniel Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Daniel Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Daniel Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit, a gooseberry measuring 7–13mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or cooked and can also be dried for later use.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Canada, North America, USA,
How to Identify
Ribes irriguum is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall. The plant is hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. It adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage, tolerating mildly acidic to basic soils. It grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.
How to Grow
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position. Hardy to about -20°c. 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 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. 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.
Medicinal Uses
A decoction of the root has been used as a stomach tonic.
Other Uses
None known.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Ribes irriguum is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall. The plant is hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. It adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage, tolerating mildly acidic to basic soils. It grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.
Notes
There are about 150 Ribes species.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7:516. 1830
- Turner, N., 1997, Food Plants of Interior First Peoples. Royal BC Museum Handbook p 127
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