Trailing gooseberry facts for kids

The Ribes binominatum is a type of plant often called the trailing gooseberry or ground gooseberry. It's a kind of currant plant. This plant naturally grows in the Klamath Mountains and nearby northern California Coast Ranges. You can find it in the northern parts of California and western Oregon, usually in forests and open grassy areas high up in the mountains.

What the Trailing Gooseberry Looks Like

The trailing gooseberry is a small, spreading shrub. It usually grows less than a meter (about 40 inches) tall. Many times, it's even shorter than that.

Stems and Spines

Along the stems of this plant, you'll find special spots called nodes. Each node has three sharp spines. These spines can be up to 2 centimeters (about 0.8 inches) long.

Leaves

The leaves of the trailing gooseberry are covered in tiny hairs. They also have small glands, which make them feel a bit sticky. Each leaf is usually 2 to 5 centimeters (0.8 to 2.0 inches) long. They are deeply divided into 3 or 5 rounded sections. These sections also have small teeth along their edges.

Flowers

The flowers of the trailing gooseberry hang down from the branches. Sometimes there is just one flower, or sometimes there is a cluster of up to four flowers. This cluster is called a raceme.

Each flower has five fuzzy parts called sepals. These sepals are usually pale green. Sometimes their edges are a bit red. They bend backward, away from the center of the flower. In the middle of the flower, there's a tube-shaped part called the corolla. It is made of white or pinkish petals. Inside the corolla, there are five stamens, which produce pollen. There are also two shorter parts called styles, which are part of the plant's reproductive system.

Fruit

After the flowers, the plant produces a fruit. This fruit is a yellowish-green berry. It's about a centimeter (0.4 inches) wide. The berry is covered in long, sharp prickles. These prickles become harder as the berry ripens, turning into small spines.