Ribes divaricatum is a species in the genus Ribes found in the forests, woodlands, and coastal scrub of western North America from
British Columbia to
California.[10][11] The three accepted varieties have various
common names which include the word "gooseberry". Other common names include coast black gooseberry, wild gooseberry,[12]Worcesterberry,[13] or spreading-branched gooseberry.[13]
Description
Ribes divaricatum is a
shrub sometimes reaching 3 metres (10 feet) in height with woody branches with one to three thick brown
spines at
leaf nodes. The leaves are generally palmate in shape and edged with teeth. The blades are up to 6 centimetres (2+1⁄4 inches) long and borne on
petioles.
The
inflorescence is a small cluster of hanging flowers, each with reflexed purple-tinted green
sepals and smaller, white to red petals encircling long, protruding
stamens. The fruit is a sweet-tasting
berry up to 1 cm (1⁄2 in) wide which is black when ripe. It is similar to Ribes lacustre and R. lobbii, but the former has smaller, reddish to maroon flowers and the latter has reddish flowers that resemble those of
fuchsias and sticky leaves.[14]
Ribes divaricatum var. divaricatum, or spreading gooseberry is found in
Oregon,
Washington, and British Columbia.[16]
Ribes divaricatum var. parishii, called Parish's gooseberry, is found only in California.[17][18]
Ribes divaricatum var. pubiflorum, known as straggly gooseberry is native to both California and Oregon.[19][20]
Uses
The berries are edible and are ripe when black.[21]
The fruit was food for a number of
Native American groups of the
Pacific Northwest, and other parts of the plant, especially the bark, was used for medicinal purposes.[22]
References
^
ab The original description of this species was published in Transactions, of the Horticultural Society of London, 7: 515. 1830.
"Plant Name Details for Ribes divaricatum". IPNI. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
^Ribes divaricatum var. douglasii was published in Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève. 35: 391. 1907. Geneva & Paris.
"Plant Name Details for Ribes divaricatum var. douglasii". IPNI. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
^R. parishii was published in Muhlenbergia; a Journal of Botany. 1: 134. 1904. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Los Gatos, California.
"Plant Name Details for Ribes parishii". IPNI. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
^R. d. var. montanum was published in Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève. 35: 391. 1907. Geneva & Paris.
"Plant Name Details for Ribes divaricatum var. montanum". IPNI. Retrieved August 2, 2010.