Worcesterberry
Ribes divaricatum
Also called Worcester berry, Spreading gooseberry and Coastal black gooseberry
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitSold for years as a gooseberry-blackcurrant cross and it is neither — it is a wild American gooseberry, immune to the mildew that ruins the European one. The thorns are vicious, so give it room and pick with gloves.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 6 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a very cold winter RHS H6, to -20°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 2 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- Western North America
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
The spines are long and in threes at every node.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Pinprick holes low down in the middle of the bush in late spring, with pale green black-spotted caterpillars lined up along the veins beneath. It resists the mildew its European cousin gets, but not this.Gooseberry sawfly · pest
- Small hard berries that are sour and green-tasting. They are ready when they have gone almost black and come away at a touch — a red one is a fortnight short.Picked too early · disorder