Ribes stenocarpum

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit of this gooseberry can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a pleasant but quite strongly acid flavour and a hairy skin. The oblong berries are red or green-tinged red, approximately 25mm long and 10mm wide. They hang well on the plant and can be harvested through to October; the longer they are left, the less acid the flavour becomes.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. In central China it grows in forests between 2,300-3,300 m above sea level. In Sichuan.

Asia, China, Slovenia,

How to Identify

A shrub. It grows 1-2 m tall. There are 1-3 spines at the nodes. The leaves are oval and 2-3 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The fruit are oblong and red. It is 2-3 cm long by 1 cm wide.

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 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 through their first winter, and plant out in late spring the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, can be taken in July or August and rooted in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood from 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

None known.

Other Uses

None known.

A deciduous shrub reaching 2m tall with hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Hardy to UK zone 6. Flowers from May to June with seeds ripening July to August. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Prefers mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline soil. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and favors moist conditions.

Notes

There are about 150 Ribes species.

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