Gooseberry
The
gooseberry (/ˈɡuːsbɛri/ or /ˈɡuːzbɛri/ (American) or /ˈɡʊzbəri/ (British)), with scientific names
Ribes uva-crispa (and syn.
Ribes grossularia), is a species of
Ribes (which also includes the currants). It is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, west, south and southeast Asia. Gooseberry bushes produce an edible fruit and are grown on both a commercial and domestic basis. Although usually placed as a subgenus within
Ribes, a few taxonomists treat
Grossularia as a separate genus, although hybrids between gooseberry and blackcurrant (e.g., the jostaberry) are possible. The subgenus
Grossularia differs somewhat from currants, chiefly in their spiny stems, and in that their flowers grow one to three together on short stems, not in racemes. It is one of several similar species in the subgenus
Grossularia; for the other related species (e.g., North American Gooseberry
Ribes hirtellum), see the genus page
Ribes.