Ribes viburnifolium explained

Ribes viburnifolium, is an uncommon North American species in the gooseberry family. It is known by the common names Catalina currant, Santa Catalina Island currant, island gooseberry^[1] and evergreen currant.

Description

Ribes viburnifolium is a perennial shrub^[2] which grows low to the ground, extending long reddish stems horizontally. The leaves are dark green and shiny on their top surfaces, and lighter green or yellowish and leathery on the undersides. The leaves have glands which exude a sticky, citrus-scented sap.^[3]

Clusters of deep red flowers bloom in late winter and into early spring. The plant yields small red fruits later in the spring.^{[4] [3]} The red fruit attracts birds. The flowers attract hummingbirds and insects.^[5]

Distribution and habitat

Distribution

Ribes viburnifolium is native to the coast of Baja California and Southern California, from Smuggler's Canyon in the Tijuana Hills of San Diego County^[6] to El Rosario in central Baja California.^[7] The probable type locality is near Ensenada, from a 1882 collection by Marcus E. Jones.^[8] R. viburnifolium is also present on several islands in the region, including Catalina Island and Todos Santos in the Southern California Bight, and Cedros Island farther to the south off of the Vizcaino Peninsula. A persistent population from a planting exists in San Clemente Canyon, San Diego County.^[9]

Habitat

The mainland habitat of Ribes viburnifolium along the southern San Diego and northern Baja California coast consists of coastal sage scrub and coastal succulent scrub, with plants growing in canyons and arroyos with partial shade near the coast.^[10] On the Punta Banda, R. viburnifolium is found growing in moist, wind-swept, and foggy sage scrub and chaparral. On Cedros Island, this species is found in the pine groves north of the Gran Cañón.^[11]

Cultivation

'Evergreen currant' has become a popular plant in drought-tolerant gardens.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment - Ribes viburnifolium

Notes and References

1. http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7149 Calflora taxon report, University of California, Ribes viburnifolium A. Gray, Catalina currant, Santa Catalina Island currant, island gooseberry
2. Web site: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. 2022-01-02. www.wildflower.org.
3. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250065806 Flora of North America, Ribes viburnifolium A. Gray, 1882. Evergreen or Catalina currant
4. Casebeer, M. (2004). Discover California Shrubs. Hooker Press: Sonora, California.
5. Web site: Catalina Currant, Ribes viburnifolium. 2022-01-02. calscape.org.
6. Book: Reiser, Craig H. . Rare Plants of San Diego County . July 2001 . Aquafir Press . 216–217 . B0006F4BAY . https://web.archive.org/web/20220525183035/https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/pds/ceqa/JVR/AdminRecord/IncorporatedByReference/Appendices/Appendix-D---Biological-Resources-Report/Reiser%202001.pdf . 25 May 2022.
7. Rebman . Jon P. . Gibson . Judy . Rich . Karen . 15 November 2016 . Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Baja California, Mexico . Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History . . 45 . 178 . San Diego Plant Atlas.
8. Web site: Jones . Marcus E. . 10 April 1882 . UC372607 . 5 September 2022 . CCH2 . Consortium of California Herbaria.
9. Book: Beauchamp, R. Mitchel . A Flora of San Diego County, California . Sweetwater River Press . 1986 . 0-931950-01-5 . National City, California . 170.
10. Book: Wiggins, Ira L. . Flora of Baja California . 1980 . Stanford University Press . 0-8047-1016-3 . Stanford, Calif. . 641 . 6284257.
11. Oberbauer . Thomas A. . 1987 . Hochberg . Floristic Analysis of Vegetation Communities on Isla de Cedros, Baja California, Mexico . Third California Islands Symposium: Recent Advances in Research on the California Islands . Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA. . 115–131.