Ribes hirtellum aka Hairystem Gooseberry

Ribes hirtellum is a deciduous shrub in the gooseberry family, Grossulariaceae. Common names include hairystem gooseberry and American black gooseberry. It grows wild in Canada and the north-central and eastern United States. Its range lies in temperate North America. Wild plants grow in rocky woods, wet woods, and clearings. Gardeners grow this species for its edible fruit.

This spiny shrub reaches about 3–4 feet [0.9–1.2 metres] tall. Plants may stand alone or form thickets. Its frame is thin and open rather than dense. The bark ranges from gray-brown to reddish-brown. Young twigs may carry single or forked spines at their nodes. Prickles may also grow between the nodes. The leaves grow in an alternate pattern along the stems. Each simple leaf has three to five palmate lobes. Leaves have a round outline and toothed edges. Both faces are dark green, without hairs or glands. Soft hairs grow on the leaf stalks.

Small, cup-shaped flowers appear in April. They have green-white petals and grow singly or in groups of three. Each flower has both male and female parts. Insects carry pollen between flowers. The round berries turn dark purple in late summer. Their smooth skins lack hairs and glands. Each fruit measures about a third of an inch across. The flesh has a pleasant, mildly tart taste. People eat the fruit fresh or cook it. It suits pies, jams, jellies, and other preserves. Drying offers another way to keep the crop.

Give this shrub sun and moist soil that drains well. A loam of at least fair quality suits it. It also accepts sandy and clay soils with good drainage. It tolerates mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline ground. PFAF describes it as easy to grow in these conditions. The same source lists USDA zones 4–8 and hardiness near −20°C. A sunny woodland edge offers one planting setting. It also has a place in food forest gardens.

The species has helped breeders develop disease-resistant American gooseberries. It can host a stage of white pine blister rust. PFAF therefore advises against planting it near pine trees. That source reports no known hazards or medicinal uses. Its edible berries provide its main recorded use. The spines and prickles remain worth noting when handling the stems.