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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Ribes viburnifolium (Evergreen currant)
Wasowski, Sally and Andy

Ribes viburnifolium

Ribes viburnifolium A. Gray

Evergreen Currant, Catalina Currant, Santa Catalina Currant, Island Gooseberry

Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: rivi

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

A low, spreading evergreen, 2-3 ft. tall and up to 8 ft. wide. The shiny, dark-green leaves are fragrant when bruised. The drooping racemes of flowers are pink to purplish and followed by showy red berries.

 

From the Image Gallery

2 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr
Bloom Notes: Pink to purplish to brownish red.

Distribution

USA: CA
Native Distribution: Santa Catalina Island and Baja
Native Habitat: Shrubby canyon areas

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Dry to mesic, well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: A good ground cover for dry shade. Non-invasive. Does not tolerate extreme heat and drought unless mulched heavily.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: A nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Description: Propagation by seed in possible.
Seed Collection: Seeds need to be picked or stripped as soon as they are ripe to lessen losses to birds. Maceration and flotation can be used to extract the seeds.
Commercially Avail: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA

Bibliography

Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ribes viburnifolium in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ribes viburnifolium in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ribes viburnifolium

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-24
Research By: TWC Staff

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