Miccosukee Gooseberry

Description:

The Miccosukee Gooseberry is a spiny- stemmed deciduous shrub growing to 3 feet in height and forming clumps that often measure several meters in diameter. This plant has three-lobed leaves that measure approximately 1.0 inch long. The flowers are greenish-white and small, 0.5 inch long. The fruits are spiny and measure up to 0.5 inch in diameter. The plant sheds most leaves in the summer and new leaves emerge in the autumn and over-winter. Flowering occurs in March and April and fruits mature in May to July. Reproduction is from seeds and also occurs asexually by the rooting of stem tips when they touch soil. Primary pollinators appear to be bumble bees.

Habitat:

Found in steeply sloping land containing stands of deciduous hardwood trees more typically found to the north. This photograph was taken at the Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve near Clarks Hill, SC. This is one of only three locations that this rare plant is found in the United States. The soil texture is considered a sandy loam with high pH (6.7 to 7.4) and calcium levels.

Notes:

Miccosukee gooseberry is a shrub located along the north shoreline of Lake Miccosukee near Monticello, Florida, and in two locations in South Carolina, McCormick County: Steven’s Creek, a site 1.5 m northeast of Clark Hill, and in Sumter NF, Edgefield Ranger District (Catling 1998) (Figure 1). The Florida population was discovered in 1924, and the South Carolina populations were found in 1957 and 1981 with the first protected at Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve.