spreading gooseberry

Also known as Coast Black Gooseberry, Wild Gooseberry, Worcesterberry, Spreading-branched Gooseberry

Spreading gooseberry forms dense, thorny shrubs featuring deeply lobed green leaves and distinct drooping flowers with backward-curving sepals and prominent stamens. In late summer, its dark purple-black berries ripen, attracting a variety of songbirds and small mammals that assist in seed dispersal. The stout nodal spines and scattered prickles along the stems protect it from large herbivores while providing safe nesting cover for birds.