Common gooseberry is a berry or fruit, what it looks like, where it grows and what it is called differently
Many people have seen this low-growing shrub with thorny branches, heart-shaped leaves and sweet and sour, aromatic berries. The fruits are used in folk medicine; jams, marshmallows, jelly, and emerald jam are prepared from them. More than 1,000 varieties and hybrids of garden gooseberries have been bred based on their natural appearance.
Read all about gooseberries - place of origin and growth, distinctive characteristics of bushes, leaves and fruits - in our article.
What is common gooseberry
The common, rejected or European gooseberry is a plant from the Gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae), the Currant genus (Ribes). Until the mid-twentieth century, gooseberries were classified as a separate species - Gooseberry; they were not compared with the Currant genus. However, cross-properties between these plants have been reduced to the concept of a single genus.
Gooseberries are native to northern Africa and Western Europe.
Jean Ruel made the first description of the plant in the book De natura stirpium, which was published in 1536. The first botanical drawing was published in 1548 in the book Memorable Comments on the Description of Plants by Leonard Fuchs.
Is it a berry or fruit
In the current biological classification, gooseberry is a berry. Fruits with thin skin after ripening dry out on the bushes if they are not collected on time and fall off. Numerous seeds contained in the pulp germinate in the soil. The seed method of propagation is inherent only in berries.
Other names
The ancient Latin name Grossularia was derived from the French groseille, which means "currant"" The plant received its international classical name in 1753 thanks to Carl Linnaeus. Since then, in the scientific literature, gooseberries have been called Ribes uva-crispa - “currant grapes”.
Gardeners also know other names of Latin origin - Grossularia vulgaris, Grossularia reclinata, Ribes hybridum Besser, Grossularia pubescens Opiz, Ribes grossularia.
Gooseberries are also called gooseberry, wineberry, hergechnik, bersen, agrus, veprina, opryni.
In Altai, the berries were known as bersen, in the upper part of the Yenisei River - kryg-or kryz-bersen.
Interesting! According to historians, Bersenevskaya embankment in Moscow was named after the palace garden, where grew gooseberries.
In botanical books of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, the name “kryzh” is mentioned.
In Azerbaijan, gooseberries are called “Rus alchasy” - literally “Russian cherry plum”.
Gooseberry, or goose berry, is what the British call it. Previously, the berries were used to make a sauce for fried poultry with savory sweet and sour notes.
Gooseberries received the European name “wine berry” due to the fact that wine was made from it. Not only berries, but also leaves were placed in barrels. The sweet and sour drink and fresh berries were appreciated by King Henry VIII. It is believed that the best varieties were developed by the British.
Botanical description
What does a gooseberry look like? Like any plant, it has a unique set of characteristics.
Bush
The height of the bush does not exceed 1.2 m. The color of the bark that is prone to peeling is dark gray or dark brown. Simple or tripartite spines are formed on the branches. New shoots are cylindrical in shape and covered with grayish bark.They have thin needle-like spines and small black dots.
The buds are brown in color and covered with reddish scales with a white edge along the edge. The buds originate in the axils of the spines.
Leaves
The leaf blade is three- and five-lobed, jagged at the edges, covered with whitish hairs. The color is green, muted. The leaf shape is ovoid or round, with a heart-shaped outline. Length – 5-6 cm. At the base there are sharp thorns that scare away wild animals.
Flowers
How do gooseberries bloom? The flowering period of 18 days begins in May. Gooseberry flowers are characterized by bisexuality, that is, they have both pistils and stamens. The flowers are white, with green or red splashes. The flowers are single or collected in racemes of 2-3 pieces, located in the leaf axils. Sepals are pubescent.
Flowering bushes attract bees and are considered one of the best honey plants.
Reference. As a result of crossing splayed and common gooseberries with currants, scientists were able to develop the yoshta hybrid. The unusual name is the result of a combination of the initial letters of the German words johannisbeere (currant) and stachelbeere (gooseberry).
Fruit
The plant begins to bear fruit 2-3 years after landings. The berries ripen in July–August. The fruits have an oval, almost spherical shape, with a tail at the end. Length – 12-30 mm. The skin is smooth or coarsely bristly, with veins. Color: green, yellow, purple, black, red, white.
The cut reveals juicy, translucent, watery pulp and many brown seeds.
The skin has a sour taste, and the flesh is sweet, with a grape, plum, raspberry or peach flavor, depending on the variety.
Distribution area
Where do gooseberries grow? In the wild, the plant is distributed in Transcaucasia, North America, Central Asia, Ukraine, Europe, and North Africa.
In Russia, the crop is grown in gardens in the middle zone. The seeds are carried by birds, and wild bushes are found in the forests of Bryansk, Tver, Saratov, Kostroma, Oryol, Moscow, Vladimir, Voronezh, Kaluga, Tula, Samara, and Ulyanovsk regions.
Wild gooseberries grow on rocky mountain slopes among other shrubs, in swampy forests, wastelands and abandoned farmland.
The crop is grown as a fruit and berry plant on light, medium loamy, fertile soils. Ribes uva-crispa loves moisture, but does not develop well in areas with close groundwater.
Conclusion
Common gooseberry bushes grow in the wild and are cultivated in gardens as ornamental and fruit plants. The first description of the gooseberry appeared in 1536, and the first official name Ribes uva-crispa - in 1753. Gardeners call it differently: gooseberry, wineberry, hergechnik, bersen, agrus, veprina, opryni.
The first harvest is harvested 2-3 years after planting. The flowering period lasts 18 days, and berries ripen in July–August. The fruits have a pleasant sweet and sour taste.