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Prickly Gooseberry

Ribes cynosbati

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist slopes, periglacial boulderfields, talus, grassy balds, especially at medium to high elevations. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

75
Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–4 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
July to September

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 3 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Cliffs, ledges, rock outcrops, talus and rocky summits where the source does not name the rock. A named rock files the place under its own glade or outcrop type instead.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 22 animals.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

50CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Ribes

  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Alcathoe caudataClematis Borer, Clematis Clearwing Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
Show all 50
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Dichorda iridariaShowy Emerald
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Macaria evagariaDrab Angle
  • Macaria subcessariaBarred Angle, Barred Granite
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Polygonia progneGray Comma
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Pseudopostega quadristrigellaGooseberry Barkminer
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Carposina ottawana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
11BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ribes

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ribes

  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Aphelocoma californicaCalifornia Scrub-Jay
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sialia currucoidesMountain Bluebird
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
Show all 12
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Grossulariaceae
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
White, yellow, green or brown
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Dogberry; Eastern Prickly Gooseberry

Conservation status

Arkansas rankS2S3
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources