diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-data-table/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-data-table/package.py
index 111a376b8e6..b55842231be 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-data-table/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-data-table/package.py
@@ -41,3 +41,7 @@ class RDataTable(RPackage):
 
     depends_on("r@3.1.0:", type=("build", "run"))
     depends_on("zlib-api")
+    depends_on("llvm-openmp", when="platform=darwin %apple-clang", type=("build", "run"))
+
+    # gettext linkage is passed in from libR, however data-table looks for libintl.h directly
+    depends_on("gettext")
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-matrix/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-matrix/package.py
index 5c0ad258c0d..7eeddaa2539 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-matrix/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-matrix/package.py
@@ -37,3 +37,5 @@ class RMatrix(RPackage):
     depends_on("r@3.5.0:", type=("build", "run"), when="@1.3-3:")
     depends_on("r@4.4.0:", type=("build", "run"), when="@1.7-0:")
     depends_on("r-lattice", type=("build", "run"))
+    # looks for libintl.h directly
+    depends_on("gettext")
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-mgcv/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-mgcv/package.py
index 556ab660534..68d4602d22e 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-mgcv/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-mgcv/package.py
@@ -41,3 +41,4 @@ class RMgcv(RPackage):
     depends_on("r@3.6.0:", type=("build", "run"), when="@1.8.34:")
     depends_on("r-nlme@3.1-64:", type=("build", "run"))
     depends_on("r-matrix", type=("build", "run"))
+    depends_on("gettext")
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-nlme/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-nlme/package.py
index 5582a8199e7..38c269dd336 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-nlme/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/r-nlme/package.py
@@ -34,3 +34,6 @@ class RNlme(RPackage):
     depends_on("r@3.4.0:", type=("build", "run"), when="@3.1-135.5:")
     depends_on("r@3.6.0:", type=("build", "run"), when="@3.1-165:")
     depends_on("r-lattice", type=("build", "run"))
+
+    # looks for libintl.h directly
+    depends_on("gettext")