Appalachian gooseberry

Ribes rotundifolium Michx.

Appalachian gooseberry is a woody shrub of rich, rocky woodland. Its greenish-yellow flowers can be easy to overlook among the leaves, but their projecting stamens give them a distinctive, delicate outline. Compared with Missouri gooseberry, this species has shorter prickles and smaller blossoms. Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Ribes rotundifolium

Botanical name

USDA GRIN recognizes Ribes rotundifolium Michx.; Grossularia rotundifolia is a synonym based on the same name. USDA GRIN Taxonomy: Ribes rotundifolium

Recognizing the plant

The simple leaves alternate along the stems and have both lobes and teeth around their edges. The flower’s green to reddish-purple cup supports backward-bending sepals, small pale petals and conspicuously longer stamens. In the North American flora, the stamens are about two and a half to four times as long as the petals. Smooth berries ripen pale purple, generally measuring 7–12 mm across. Their lack of prickles contrasts with the armed fruits of some other gooseberries. Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Ribes rotundifolium NEON Biorepository: Ribes rotundifolium, Flora of North America and Gleason–Cronquist accounts

Bloom window

New England

The regional Go Botany account records flowering in April and May. Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Ribes rotundifolium

Native range

The species occurs in the eastern United States, principally along the Appalachians. Rich forests, rocky slopes, boulder fields and some mountain balds provide habitat from low elevations to about 2,100 m. NEON Biorepository: Ribes rotundifolium, Flora of North America and Gleason–Cronquist accounts

Ecological relationships

Bees and hummingbirds visit the flowers. Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Ribes rotundifolium

Birds and mammals eat the fruits. Native Plant Trust Go Botany: Ribes rotundifolium

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.