Currants and Gooseberries native to California
Ribes amarum, Bitter Gooseberry
Bitter Gooseberry has red and white flowers and shiny dark green leaves. It makes 3 to 6ft tall open erect shrub. It likes full shade and moist areas. It is found in Chaparral, Central Oak Woodland, and Yellow Pine Forest along the coast ranges from Monterey county south and along the base of the Sierra Nevada range from Eldorado county south to San Diego County.
Ribes aureum aureum, Golden Currant
Golden Currant is an erect shrub that grows from 3 to 6 ft tall. It has very dark colored berries, shiny green leaves, and yellow flowers that turn orange with age. It grows in Sagebrush Scrub, Lodgepole Forest, Valley Grassland, and Riparian in Fresno and Inyo counties along the sierra Nevada range to Modoc county and Siskiyou counties.
Ribes aureum gracillimum, Golden Currant
This Golden currant forms a small thicket about 6 ft wide and 3-6ft tall. It has very straight branches an lots of yellow flowers and small shiny green leaves. The yellow flowers are popular with hummingbirds. It has yellow berries that turn black as they ripen. They are quite tasty, but you have to pick a lot of them. The berries are also a favorite of the California Thrasher as well as many other berry eating birds. It makes a neat, clean bush without any sticky leaves or spines, They grow in Southern Oak Woodland along the coast ranges from Alameda to Riverside county.
You're not the only one that can't pronounce nor spell the botanic names. Just try to remember the first three letters, then you can look them up.
Ribes californicum, Hillside Gooseberry
Hillside Gooseberry forms a large shrub, 8ft tall and 6ft wide. It has lots of delicate red and white flowers that hummingbirds like. Many other California birds use it for cover. It is found in Chaparral, Central Oak Woodland, Coastal Sage Scrub, Mixed-evergreen Forest, and Redwood Forest plant communities along the coast ranges from Mendocino to Monterey County.
Ribes divaricatum
Ribes divaricatum grows 3 to 9 ft tall. It is really spiny. Flowers are not very showy but there are a lot of them. It likes shady areas and riparian corridors. It is found in central oak woodland, mixed evergreen forest, and Redwood forest along the coast ranges from Santa Barbra county to Humboldt and Shasta counties.
Ribes indecorum, White-flowered currant
This is probably the most drought tolerant Ribes in California. (Except maybe R. aureum) It grows in the chaparral and Coastal sage scrub throughout southern and central California. It grows around our San Luis Obispo Nursery site. This is a very harsh environment in the summer, very dry and very hot 115 degrees F. It survives it by going summer deciduous.
It comes out of dormancy after the first rain and has flowers by February.
White-flowered currant has reddish-brown bark that contrasts with its clean white flowers.
Ribes malvaceum, Chaparral currant
Of the pink currants, this is probably the most drought tolerant. It has lots of pink flower clusters that are very popular with the hummingbirds. It leaves are very fragrant and it doesn't have any bristles! It does well in sun but is at home under oaks. It is native in Chaparral, Central oak woodland, and closed cone coniferous forest in the coast ranges.
Ribes menziesii, Canyon Gooseberry
Canyon gooseberry is a drought tolerant shrub with red and white flowers. Older branches have few thorns. However, it shouldn't be planted near walk ways. (There is one in our demonstration garden that likes to catch passerbys.) It has shiny green foliage and erect branches.
Ribes nevadense, Pink Sierra Currant
Pink Sierra Currant is similar to R. sang. glut. but it grows at higher elevations and is a smaller bush. Pink Sierra Currant has large pink flower clusters and no thorns. The leaves are large, soft, and fragrant. It can tolerate being over watered as ell as drought conditions.
Ribes quercetorum, Yellow Gooseberry
Yellow gooseberry is nearly always associated with deciduous oaks in the wild, usually right along the drip line of the oak. In our garden it is growing under a box elder so their oak affiliation is not set in stone. It does seem to be happiest there however. Yellow gooseberry makes a tight little shrub a few feet tall with weeping branches and yellow flowers. It has black berries. It is very drought tolerant.
Ribes roezlii, Sierra Gooseberry
Sierra gooseberry has flowers that are more burgundy colored than red. The bark is brownish. It grows about 3 feet tall, tolerates full sun, part sun, full shade, seasonal flooding, and deer.
Ribes sanguineum glutinosum, Pink-Flowered Currant
This is a very classy looking shrub. It has many large pendant pink flower clusters and large fragrant leaves. It is very drought tolerant after the first year or so and does well under oaks. It also will tolerate winter flooding. Hummingbirds love it and it smells great.
Ribes sericeum, Santa Lucia Gooseberry
This guy is really prickly but it also as beautiful flowers. It grows great along the coast in shade or full sun. it likes water. The fruits. Santa Lucia gooseberry has spiny purple fruits
Ribes viscosissium hallii, Sticky Currant
Sticky currant has large pinkish flower clusters and large fragrant leaves. It is native to northern California.
Ribes speciosum, Fuchsia-Flowering Gooseberry
Fuchsia-flowering gooseberries is favored by hummingbirds over other Ribes flowers. Its nectar has a higher sugar content. The flowers are very long and bright red. The leaves are deep green in color and shiny. It grows in part shade at our Santa Margarita nursery garden. Which means it will do fine in milder climates in full or part shade. I have also seen it in full shade. It is very drought tolerant, going summer deciduous.
Ribes viburnifolium, Evergreen Currant
An evergreen currant? Yep. It doesn't look much like any other currant in California. It has shiny dark green leathery leaves, red bark, and small purplish flowers. It does well under oaks.
