Ribes menziesii
Encyclopedia
Ribes menziesii is a species of currant
found only in California and Oregon. There are five to six varieties of the species found across the low elevation mountains of California, especially the Coast Ranges, and the coastal canyons and foothills, into southern Oregon. It can be found in the chaparral plant community
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The canyon gooseberry is an aromatic deciduous shrub with very prickly branches growing up to two meters in height. It has somewhat rounded, hairy, glandular green leaves. Its showy hanging flowers have sepal
s which are reflexed, or folded backwards along the length of the flower. The sepals are fuchsia or purple. The petals are white and extend forward to form a loose tube from which the stamens emerge. The plant fruits purple gooseberries which are edible but are mainly seeds with little fruit. The plant's spines also make collecting fruit unpleasant. The plant is sometimes used as an ornamental in areas of proper climate, such as coastal California, for its attractive spring blooms. The rest of the year, however, the plant is brown and less attractive so it is not in very great demand for garden displays.
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....
found only in California and Oregon. There are five to six varieties of the species found across the low elevation mountains of California, especially the Coast Ranges, and the coastal canyons and foothills, into southern Oregon. It can be found in the chaparral plant community
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...
.
The canyon gooseberry is an aromatic deciduous shrub with very prickly branches growing up to two meters in height. It has somewhat rounded, hairy, glandular green leaves. Its showy hanging flowers have sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s which are reflexed, or folded backwards along the length of the flower. The sepals are fuchsia or purple. The petals are white and extend forward to form a loose tube from which the stamens emerge. The plant fruits purple gooseberries which are edible but are mainly seeds with little fruit. The plant's spines also make collecting fruit unpleasant. The plant is sometimes used as an ornamental in areas of proper climate, such as coastal California, for its attractive spring blooms. The rest of the year, however, the plant is brown and less attractive so it is not in very great demand for garden displays.