Ribes malvaceum
Encyclopedia
Ribes malvaceum, called chaparral currant, is a member of the Grossulariaceae (gooseberry family). It is native to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...

, where it occurs below 1500 m in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...

, foothill oak woodland, and closed-cone pine forest
Closed-cone pine forest
Closed-cone pine forest is a plant community of coastal California and several offshore islands. It consists of stands of Bishop Pines, Monterey Pines, and others which rely on fire or strong heat to open their cones and release the seeds.-Closed-cone Pines:...

.

Less than 2 meters tall, this perennial shrub lacks the characteristic nodal spines which are demonstrated on the stems of many other members in the genus Ribes
Ribes
Ribes is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae. Seven subgenera are recognized....

. The leaf blades (20-50 mm) are densely hairy, glandular, and double toothed.

Infloresences are 10-25 flowered and open. The hypanthium
Hypanthium
A hypanthium is a floral structure consisting of the bases of the sepals, petals, and stamens fused together. Its presence is diagnostic of many families, including the Rosaceae, Grossulariaceae, and Fabaceae...

 (5-8 mm) is pink and about twice as long as it is wide. The sepals are pink-purple in color and are 4-6 mm. Petals are 2-3 mm and can range in color from pink-white. The flower also contains two fused styles
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...

 which are fused to the tip and have a hairy base. A purple glaucous fruit (6-7 mm) is produced which is glandular and is covered by white hairs.

There are two varieties of R. malvaceum:
  • var. malvaceum
  • var. viridifolium

Cultivation

Ribes malvaceum is used in native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...

 landscapes and as bird feeding and habitat gardens. It thrives under oaks in bright dry conditions, and in other locations.
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