Ribes niveum aka Snake River Gooseberry

Ribes niveum is a deciduous shrub in the gooseberry family, Grossulariaceae. Its common names include white-flowered gooseberry and slender-branched gooseberry. It comes from the northwestern United States, extending south into Nevada. Plants For A Future also records it in Colorado. It grows in temperate regions, often in thickets beside streams. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

The shrub reaches about 9 feet (2.7 metres) in height. Its canes grow upright or arch out from the base. Plants may form thickets rather than stay as single shrubs. The bark and twigs range from reddish brown to grayish brown. Smooth twigs bear one to three spines at each node. Smaller spines between the nodes may be plentiful or absent. The round leaves have three or five lobes and rounded teeth. They reach about 0.17 feet (0.05 metres) long. Their upper sides are dark green, with paler surfaces beneath. Both sides have few hairs, and leaves alternate along the stems.

Flowers hang in small clusters of one to five blooms. Their long sepals bend back around the smaller white petals. The sepals range from white to pink. Plants For A Future gives April as the flowering month. Virginia Tech gives the broader season of spring or early summer. Insects pollinate the flowers, which have male and female organs. The pea-sized fruit ripens from mid- to late summer. Ripe berries are translucent white and have a sour taste. People can eat the fruit raw or cook it.

Grow this shrub in sun rather than shade. It prefers moist soil that drains well but holds some water. A reasonably fertile loam suits it well. It also accepts sandy soils and clay. Its soil pH range spans mildly acid to mildly alkaline. Plants For A Future lists USDA hardiness zones 5–9. It also reports cold tolerance to about −20°C. The flowers and fruit give it value as an ornamental shrub. A sunny woodland edge is one suggested garden setting.

White pine blister rust is an important planting concern. This shrub can host one stage of that disease. Avoid planting it near pine trees for that reason. Plants For A Future lists no known hazards for the species. That report does not establish safety for every use or animal. The same source records no known medicinal uses.