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Appalachian gooseberry Grossulariaceae Ribes rotundifolium Michx. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: RIRO2
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, palmately lobed (3 to 5 lobes), 2 to 4 inches long, large rounded teeth; dark green and resin dotted, paler and more resin dotted below. May need hand lens to see resin dots.
Flower: Perfect; small, pale yellow or white, tubular flowers borne in mid-spring, in showy, hanging clusters several inches long.
Fruit: Black, round, 1/3 inch berries in a hanging cluster, resin dotted, ripen in mid-summer.
Twig: Moderately stout, red-gray, maybe finely hairy especially when young or hairless, ridge (very slight wings) runs downward from leaf scar, may or may not have prickles.
Bark: Silvery gray, reddish tint and finely peeling.
Form: Small to medium shrub up to 5 feet tall.
 Looks like: prickly gooseberry - mapleleaf viburnum - wild gooseberry

Appalachian gooseberry leaf image
Appalachian gooseberry flower image
Appalachian gooseberry fruit image
Appalachian gooseberry twig image
Appalachian gooseberry bark image
Appalachian gooseberry form image
Appalachian gooseberry map image

Additional Range Information: Ribes rotundifolium is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information