Herbal Database Search Results

Ribes uva-crispa

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 1.2m by 1m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower from March to May, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 5/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 2, 5, 7, 61]. The fruit is often picked when under-ripe and very firm, it has a very tart flavour at this time and is mainly used in making pies, jams etc. However, if the fruit is allowed to remain on the plant until it is fully ripe and soft it becomes quite sweet and is delicious for eating out of hand[K]. The fruit of the wild species is often less than 1cm in diameter, but named cultivars have considerably larger fruits up to 3cm in diameter[K].
Leaves- raw. The young and tender leaves can be eaten in salads[4]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Astringent Laxative Miscellany.

The fruit is laxative[7]. Stewed unripe gooseberries are used as a spring tonic to cleanse the system[4].
The leaves have been used in the treatment of gravel[4]. An infusion taken before the monthly periods is said to be a useful tonic for growing girls[4].
The leaves contain tannin and have been used as an astringent to treat dysentery and wounds[7].

Other Uses

The fruit pulp is used cosmetically in face-masks for its cleansing effect on greasy skins[7].

Cultivation details

Propagation

Cultivars

'Wynham's Industry'

'White Transparent'

'White Lion'

A large fruit with a slightly hairy skin, it has a very good flavour and ripens very late[183]. An excellent late dessert fruit[183]. The bush is vigorous and spreading, high yielding[183]. Grows well on soils where other cultivars do not thrive[183]. Flowers late mid season.

'White Fig'

'Weisse Voltreisen'

'Weisse Reissen'

'Weidersch Frue Market'

'Viper'

'Victoria'

'Tom Joiner'

'Thumper'

'Talford'

'Spinefree'

'Smiling Beauty'

'Smarag Beere'

'Slap Bang'

'Sir John Brown'

'Sensation'

'Scottish Chieftan'

'Scotch Red Rouen'

'Roseberry'

'Roaring Lion'

'Ringer'

'Reisen von Kothen'

'Rearguard'

'Queen of Hearts'

'Profit'

'Preston Seedling'

'Pottage'

'Plain Long Green'

'Pixwell'

A medium-size fruit, borne in clusters and on long stems away from the thorns, making picking easy[183]. Thin-skinned, it is good for all culinary purposes[183]. A compact hardy very productive bush[183]. This cultivar is a hybrid R. hirtellum x R. missouriensis[183].

'Peru'

'Pax'

An almost spine-free variety with red fruits that have an excellent flavour and ripen in mid July. The plants have moderate resistance to mildew and leaf spot.

'Ostrich'

'Montrose'

'Monarch'

'Mitre'

'Mischief'

'Mertensis'

'Matchless'

'Marm Gold Kugal'

'Marigold'

'Lord Elcho'

'Lord Derby'

'London'

A very large oval fruit with a smooth skin. The flavour is good, it ripens mid-season to late[183]. A spreading bush, it makes few branches and requires a rich soil[183]. Heavy yielding[183]. Flowers mid-period[183].

'London City'

'Lily of the Valley'

'Leader'

'Laxton's Amber'

'Langley Green'

'Langley Gage'

Large fruit with a transparent skin, the flesh is very sweet and the flavour exceptionally good[183]. Excellent for dessert[183]. A strong-growing bush, upright at first but tending to spread with age[183]. Difficult to pick because it tends to produce fruits in the centre of the bush[183].

'Lady Houghton'

'Lady Delamere'

'King of Trumps'

'Jolly Angler'

'Jenny Lind'

'Invicta'

A medium-size fruit of excellent quality[183]. Resistant to mildew[183].

'Ingal's Prolific'

'Independance'

'Hue and Cry'

'Hot Gossip'

'Honing's Fruheste' 'Hoenings Earliest'

A medium to large fruit, the skin is thick, the flesh very tender and juicy with a sweet mild plum-like flavour of very good quality[183]. Ripens in early July[183]. A large vigorous productive bush, one of the earliest and most attractive of gooseberries[183].

'Hero of the Nile'

'Hedgehog'

'Hearts of Oak'

'Guy's Seedling'

'Grune Reisen'

'Grune Flaschen Beere'

'Gretna Green'

'Greengage'

'Green Walnut'

'Green Overall'

'Green Ocean'

'Green Gem'

'Green Gascoyne'

'Golden Lion'

'Golden Drop'

'Globe Yellow'

'Glenton Green'

A medium-size fruit, up to 3cm in diameter, it is of very good quality[183].

'Gem'

'Gautrey's Earliest'

'G11'

'Fascination'

'Faithful'

'Echo'

'Early Sulpher'

A medium-size thin-skinned fruit with a sweet fairly good flavour[183]. It ripensvery early and is one of the best early gooseberries for cooking whilst also making an excellent dessert fruit[183]. A large vigorous and productive bush, upright to spreading[183].

'Drill'

'Conquering Hero'

'Colossal'

A very large oval fruit, 4cm in diameter[183].The flesh is sweet and mild, ripening in mid July[183]. A vigorous bush, it is very winter hardy, heavy bearing and disease resistant[183].

'British Oak'

'Bright Venus'

'Bobby Green'

'Blucher'

'Black Seedling'

'Berry's Early Kent'

'Berry's Early Giant'

'Bellona'

'Bellede Meaux'

'Beech Tree Nestling'

'Beauty'

'Australia'

'Angler'

'Alma'

Suppliers

Cool Temperate Nurseries

10 Ivy Grove
Nottingham
NG7 7LZ
Email: philcorbett53@hotmail.com
Phone 0115 847 8302 Fax 0115 847 8302
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Cool Temperate by email/phone
Notes: Many Trees supplied on their own rootstock
Last Updated: April 03
Item: Ribes uva-crispa (Gooseberry)
        Varities: Greenfinch, Invicta, Whinhams Industry, Pax, Rokula
Item: Ribes
        Varities: Black Velvet

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

• PFAF: Edible Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Britain
  
• PFAF: Edible Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Britain: Q-R
  
• PFAF: Edible Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Britain
  

Web References

• Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M.  Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
• [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
• [E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
• [B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
• [G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
• [G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
• [PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
• [P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
• [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

• [B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
• [P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[155] Arnberger. L. P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments Ass. 1968
A lovely little pocket guide to wild plants in the southern Rockies of America.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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