// SPECIES PROFILE · SHRUB · NATIVE

American Gooseberry

Ribes missouriense

Missouri gooseberry is a thorny native shrub bearing greenish-purple translucent berries that ripen in early summer — sour fresh, excellent in pies and preserves. Tolerant of dense shade and hosts a strong understory niche.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Grossulariaceae
Group: shrub
Native range: Central US incl. eastern OK woodlands
USDA hardiness: Zones 3–8
Mature size: 3–4 ft
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium · adaptable
Wildlife value: Pollinator early bloom; small mammals and birds eat fruit
Ecological role: thorny native shrub · sour edible berries · woodland edge

American Gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) — *Ribes missouriense*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: thorny native shrub · sour edible berries · woodland edge. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a shaded woodland understory, american gooseberry pairs naturally with: black cherry (Prunus serotina), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), american alumroot (Heuchera americana), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), and american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).

Site american gooseberry on the woodland edge or in the mid-layer of a guild beneath taller canopy trees.

Photo Reference

// Ribes missouriense — Missouri Gooseberry
Photo: cursed_taconell (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)

// Ribes missouriense — American Gooseberry
Photo: kjsytsma (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)