The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

canyon gooseberry, coast prickly gooseberry, gooseberry

Catalina currant, evergreen currant, island gooseberry, Santa Catalina Island currant

Habit Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, pubescent, glandular-bristly; spines at nodes mostly 3, 10–15(–20) mm; prickles on internodes dense. Plants evergreen, 0.5–1 m. Stems erect or arched (no short shoots), with white, sessile, resinous glands; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole 1–2.5 cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly ovate, 3–5-lobed, cleft less than 1/2 to midrib, 1.5–2.5 cm, base semitruncate or slightly cordate, surfaces abaxially pubescent and sessile- or stipitate-glandular, adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent, lobes cuneate-rounded, margins crenate-dentate, apex rounded.

petiole 0.3–1 cm, strigillose and with yellow or white, sessile glands;

blade ovate to obovate, unlobed, 2–4 cm, base truncate, margins shallowly toothed, sometimes undulate, apex rounded, surfaces with yellow, sessile glands abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

Inflorescences

pendent, solitary flowers or 2-flowered racemes, 2–4 cm, axis short-pubescent, glandular.

erect, 6–15-flowered racemes, 1.5–5 cm, axis glandular, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

not jointed, 3–6 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

bracts broadly ovate, 3–5 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular.

jointed, 2–5 mm, glandular;

bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2–3.5 mm, glandular.

Flowers

hypanthium crimson, conic, 2.5–3.5 mm (1/4–1/3 as long as sepals), white-pilose, with red, stalked glands and red bristles;

sepals not overlapping, reflexed, reddish purple or greenish purple, oblong-lanceolate, 7–11 mm;

petals connivent, erect, white or pinkish to yellow, broadly flabellate-cuneate, often with inrolled margins, 3–4 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens 1.5–1.8 times as long as petals;

filaments linear, 3–5 mm, glabrous;

anthers white or tan, lanceolate-sagittate, 2.5 mm, apex acute, mucronate;

ovary somewhat pubescent and strongly purplish glandular-bristly with longer glandless bristles among gland-tipped hairs;

styles connate to middle, 6–8 mm, glabrous.

hypanthium reddish, turbinate, 2–5 mm, glabrous, sessile-glandular;

sepals not overlapping, spreading, reddish, triangular to broadly deltate-ovate, 2–3 mm;

petals widely separated, erect, reddish brown, oblong to oblong-obovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 2 mm;

nectary disc prominent, reddish to reddish brown, 5-angled, completely covering top of ovary;

stamens nearly as long as petals;

filaments linear, 2 mm, glabrous;

anthers white, oval, 0.1 mm, apex with small cuplike depression;

ovary sparsely sessile-glandular;

styles connate 1/2 their lengths, 1 mm,glabrous.

Berries

not palatable, reddish purple, ellipsoid-globose, 10–13 mm, pubescent, glandular-bristly.

palatable, red, globose, 5–6 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 16.

Ribes menziesii

Ribes viburnifolium

Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat Ravines, wooded canyon slopes Chaparral
Elevation 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) 30-600 m (100-2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties of Ribes menziesii that have been recognized in the past include: var. hystrix, which occurs in the inner South Coast Ranges, is not particularly aromatic, has leaves glandular abaxially, filament lengths equal to the petals, and berries with glandular and nonglandular hairs; var. ixoderme, which occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is aromatic, has leaves glandular abaxially, filament lengths longer than petals, and berries with glandular and nonglandular hairs; var. leptosmum, which occurs in the outer North Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay area, is not particularly fragrant, has filament lengths longer than petals, and berries densely covered with gland-tipped bristles and without nonglandular hairs; var. senile, which occurs in the southwestern part of the San Francisco Bay area, is not particularly fragrant, has leaves with relatively few glands abaxially, filament lengths 1.5 times the petals, and berries with dense, soft, white hairs and gland-tipped bristles. M. R. Mesler and J. O. Sawyer Jr. (1993) concluded that the differences are not sufficient for recognizing these taxa.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Ribes viburnifolium is native on Santa Catalina Island and in northwestern Baja California. It is commonly cultivated; a population from a planting in San Clemente Canyon, Orange County, persists. Reports of populations in seemingly natural areas in Panama are unconfirmed. The leathery leaves are borne on long shoots, and the entire plant has a spicy, resinous fragrance.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 32. FNA vol. 8, p. 16.
Parent taxa Grossulariaceae > Ribes Grossulariaceae > Ribes
Sibling taxa
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, R. cereum, R. curvatum, R. cynosbati, R. diacanthum, R. divaricatum, R. echinellum, R. erythrocarpum, R. glandulosum, R. hirtellum, R. hudsonianum, R. indecorum, R. inerme, R. lacustre, R. lasianthum, R. laxiflorum, R. leptanthum, R. lobbii, R. malvaceum, R. marshallii, R. mescalerium, R. missouriense, R. montigenum, R. nevadaense, R. nigrum, R. niveum, R. oxyacanthoides, R. pinetorum, R. quercetorum, R. roezlii, R. rotundifolium, R. rubrum, R. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, R. uva-crispa, R. velutinum, R. viburnifolium, R. victoris, R. viscosissimum, R. watsonianum, R. wolfii
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, R. cereum, R. curvatum, R. cynosbati, R. diacanthum, R. divaricatum, R. echinellum, R. erythrocarpum, R. glandulosum, R. hirtellum, R. hudsonianum, R. indecorum, R. inerme, R. lacustre, R. lasianthum, R. laxiflorum, R. leptanthum, R. lobbii, R. malvaceum, R. marshallii, R. menziesii, R. mescalerium, R. missouriense, R. montigenum, R. nevadaense, R. nigrum, R. niveum, R. oxyacanthoides, R. pinetorum, R. quercetorum, R. roezlii, R. rotundifolium, R. rubrum, R. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, R. uva-crispa, R. velutinum, R. victoris, R. viscosissimum, R. watsonianum, R. wolfii
Synonyms Grossularia hystrix, Grossularia leptosma, Grossularia menziesii, Grossularia senilis, R. menziesii var. hystrix, R. menziesii var. ixoderme, R. menziesii var. leptosmum, R. menziesii var. senile
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 732. 1813 , A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 202. 1882 ,
Web links