There are only couple of
species of gooseberry native to Alabama,
but four dozen other species are native to the north and/or west, where I saw a
few while at Philmont Scout Ranch, additionally a handful more that have also become
naturalized.Granite gooseberry, Ribes
cuvatum Small, is the more suitable for fruit of the two that are native to Alabama, although I have yet to get
a crop most likely due to lack of cross pollination followed by birds so I
don’t even know exactly when they get ripe although it is probably about the end of June.The
problem with using the fruit of spiny gooseberry, R. cynosbati L., also known as eastern prickly gooseberry is the
spines, which can be few to numerous where all those I have seen look like juicy
spherical cockleburs, Xanthium L.For landscape use
I prefer any gooseberry especially a native gooseberry over invasive exotic
Japanese barberry, Berberis thunbergii DC.,
and common barberry, B. vulgaris L. While doing research on this topic I was able
to confirm having seen Colorado
barberry, B. fendleri A. Gray, while at
Philmont Scout Ranch. Both gooseberries
and barberries reportedly have eatable fruit and the stems of those I have seen
are similar with red exfoliating bark and spines, which are modified leaves,
but the gooseberries put on and drop leaves earlier.I have seen the gooseberries in or near
places generally unsuitable for farming such as glades and gulfs.Cultivated gooseberries and currents may only
be marginally adapted to zone 7 and these include European gooseberry, R.
uva-crispa L., black current, R.
nigrum L., andred
currant,R. rubrum L.Due to being an alternate host for a fungal
disease on white pine, Pinus strobus L., gooseberries and currents are
banned in some areas.In this case the
native black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot, could instead be grown for fruit
as it is in parts of Eastern Europe.
