European Cranberrybush

European Cranberrybush
Viburnum opulus


Ever since we were little kids it's been pushed into our heads to plant Highbush Cranberry for the wildlife. People walked around chanting this ever since I can remember.  So, when I started taking pictures and identifying plants, I came to find out that it's not that simple; nothing ever is with botany.

It seems that there is a European version of this plant that is quite similar to the American version, Viburnum trilobum. They are so closely related that the taxonomists get into nasty name-calling arguments about whether they should be different species or different subspecies.

The main difference is the flavor of the berries.  It seems the American version is quite tasty while, and I can vouch for this, the European version is not. For scientific purposes I tried eating a berry from the European version and it was so bad that I had to spit it out, and had to keep spitting for a while because the flavor stayed in my mouth. I'm anxious to try the American version.

The visible difference is on the stem of the leaf. Right near the leaf itself are two glandular appendages.  In the European version, they're short and concave while in the American version they stick out a bit and are more convex.  No one knows what these things are for, other than to confuse botanists.

I have never seen the American version in Indiana.  I suspect that it's a more northerly tree and everyone's been planting the European version around here, which probably isn't as appealing to the wildlife.



The berries look delicious, but are rather bitter



Note the two little appendages at the base of the leaf

Typical Viburnum looking leaves

European Gooseberry



European Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispa

European Gooseberry is just the garden variety of gooseberry that sometimes persists and flourishes in the wild.  It's native to Britain and Europe and was very popular over there, so when they started coming over here, they brought this with them.

I haven't seen too much of it in any nature preserve, just around old homesites.  The plant has a different look to it than the native gooseberries, although it's hard to describe.  It grows in big patches in the places I've seen it, unlike the native, which seems to grow more singly.

This is a great plant to have in the garden. You can get varieties that don't have so many thorns, and have large berries which makes picking and getting a bunch of fruit a lot easier.  It makes great desserts!



Note that the leaf does not have a heart-shaped base



The thorns can be a bit nasty when picking the fruits



American Black Currant

American Black Currant
Ribes americanum

Currants and Gooseberries are the same genus, Ribes.  The simple way to tell them apart is that Gooseberries have prickers on the stems and Currants do not.

This plant was growing on my property in a low peaty area near the woods.  They are said to favor wetter soils.  The berries are delicious and many animals, including humans, love to eat them.  I haven't tried the American Black Currant, although I do have a number of Red Currant (Ribes sativum) bushes growing in my garden and the berries have a lot of flavor.  If I can get to them before the critters do, I'll give the wild ones a try.



The leaf looks a lot like a gooseberry leaf