The seeds were brought to New Zealand by Isabel Fraser, a faculty member at Wanganui Girls' College, who visited mission schools in Yichang (Hubei province in China). The seeds were sown in 1906 by Wanganui gardener Alexander Allison. The plants first bore fruit in 1910 and, after consumption by some people, were found to taste like gooseberries. Because of this association, the fruit was named Chinese gooseberry.
