Gooseberry
Scientific name: Ribes uva-crispa L.
Diagnostic features Spiny shrub to 1(-1.5)m. Leaves 2-5cm, usually pubescent, not scented. Flowers 1-3 in stiff groups, 6-12mm across, greenish-yellow or red-tinged, pubescent. Berry 10-20mm across, greenish-yellow, sometimes reddish, much larger in cultivars.
Chromosome number: 2n=16.
Habitat Probably native; hedges, scrub and open woods, often obviously relict or escaped.
Distribution Over most of British Isles but not native in Ireland.
This species is keyed out on Page 2780:Ribes (Grossulariaceae) in the Text Key. |