Knowledgebase
Identify a plant. #841221
Asked July 18, 2023, 3:26 AM EDT
Are these plants gooseberries?
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Robert,
The 3 photos you forwarded to us appear to be of the Genus Currant or Gooseberry. Without any photos showing the canes, flowers or fruit, it is hard to pinpoint which.
There are a variety of online resources that are free and available to the public that answer gardening questions and are based upon research out of University Horticulture Schools. One such resource from Colorado State University is a Fact Sheet on Currants and Gooseberries:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/currants-gooseberries-and-jostaberries-7-005/
A second fact sheet from the U of MN states “Although closely related, you can easily distinguish currants and gooseberries by examining the canes and fruit. Gooseberry canes normally produce a spine at each leaf node and bear roughly grape-sized berries singly or in groups of two or three. Currant canes lack the spines and bear 8 to 30 pea-sized berries in clusters.” https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-currants-and-gooseberries-home-garden
Here is additional pictures l.
The thorns on these stems are a pretty good indication that these are indeed gooseberries.