Scientific Name:
Ribes divaricatum
Pronunciation:
RYE-beez dy-vair-ih-KAY-tum
Common Name:
coast black gooseberry, spreading gooseberry
Family Name:
Grossulariaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Shrub up to 3m tall, stems woody with one to three thick brown thorns at leaf nodes; leaves alternate, ovate-orbicular, most blades 3-6cm long and wide, palmate venation, 3-lobed with lower lobes again shallowly cleft into 2 unequal segments, base cordate, margins with small teeth; flowers pendulous, calyx lobes red to reddish-green and bent back towards pedicles (similar to fuchsia), petals white to red, 1.5-2.5 mm long, stamens long, white-pinkish; berries round, 6-10mm wide, black when ripe with a persistent calyx. Winter ID: (1-)3 reddish-brown spines at each node.
Habit:
Arching, Spreading
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest, U.S. - southwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Native planting, Small garden/space, Spring interest, Urban agriculture, Waterside planting, Wildlife food
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous, Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Green-yellow
Shapes:
Orbicular, Ovate
Apices:
Obtuse, Rounded
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Crenate, Dentate, Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Campanulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White (pink-green)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Berry (true), Edible
Fruit Colour:
Purple, Black (black when fully ripe)
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible, Technically a false berry (inferior ovary); sweet flesh with tart skin; fruit of wild varieties are smaller than shown and usually hairy
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Yellow, Brown
Organ Modifications:
Prickles, Stipule (pointy spines)
Propagation:
Cuttings
Maintenance:
Medium
Other:
Regular pruning required for maximum fruit production
Pest Susceptibility:
Rust, Sawflies or horntails or ants (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Specific Pests:
Gooseberry sawfly and maggot, White pine blister rust (look for disease resistant cvs.)
