Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_23.gif)
Thursday - July 12, 2007
From: Seattle, WA
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Identification of gooseberry plant
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Grew up in Colorado, our yard and several near us had medium to large size deciduous shrubs that produced small (.25"-.375") red berries that were very tomato-like. Delicate with a thin skin, slightly translucent with striated color, gel-like inside with large amount of small, flat seeds. They grew in twos, attached to a common stem, like a cherry configuration, and progressed from small, hard green berries when new to tomato red when ripe. Small white flowers in late spring-early summer. The foliage were small, dark leaves; branches were twiggy, straw colored. Thanks for your assistance.ANSWER:
You have given a pretty good description of a gooseberry or currant, Ribes sp. We think that the plant you describe is probably White-stem gooseberry (also called White-stem currant), Ribes inerme. Ribes hirtellum, hairy-stem gooseberry, a native to the Great Lakes region and often found in Colorado landscapes is another possibilities. There are other Ribes species native to Colorado, but the characteristics you listed seem to best fit White-stem currant.
Currants and gooseberries, many of which make wonderful jellies, were once an important fruit crop in the United States. When the genus, Ribes was discovered to be an alternate host for White Pine Blister Rust, war was declared on currants, especially on the European native black currant, Ribes nigrum, early in the twentieth century. The fungal disease, which needs both pines and currants as hosts for the two parts of its life cycle, is damaging to infected Ribes plants, but devastating to Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) and other North American 5-leaf pines. The economic importance of pines necessitated drastic measures to protect the pine trees. Those measures included a federal law (since rescinded) mandating the eradication of all known Ribes nigrum plants and making it illegal to possess them. Though the federal ban is no longer in effect, some states still prohibit growing European black currant. Consequently, currants and gooseberries, still an important fruit crop in Europe, is today little-known in most of North America.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Hibiscus wilt in Texas Star hibiscus
November 10, 2005 - I have a Texas star hibiscus on my deck. It flourished all summer, but not quite a month ago, the leaves turned yellow and fell off. Will it come back? What happened???
view the full question and answer
Shasta Daisies without Petals
August 21, 2014 - My shasta daisies do not have the white petals, only the yellow center is in bloom. There are no visible signs of insects. They get a good amount of sun - about 5 hours per day. What could be the prob...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Strawberry Hedgehog cactus from Temple TX
June 03, 2012 - I had purchased a Strawberry hedgehog Cactus (echinocereus stramineus) a few years ago from the Wildflower Center's annual plant sale and planted it then. It has now started to brown from bottom to t...
view the full question and answer
Problem with Quercus texana (Nuttall oak) in Alabama
March 12, 2014 - I have a 3" diameter Nuttall Oak that the builder planted when building the house. Last summer I noticed that several spots on the trunk were oozing sap (vertical approximately 1.5" long by 0.5" wi...
view the full question and answer
Vascular wilt in Rhus virens
June 22, 2007 - Hi Smarty:
Our evergreen sumac grew beautifully this spring (it is about 2 years old -- we got it at the LBJ Wildflower Center plant sale).
Then its leaves suddenly drooped last month (May) and turn...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |