Ribes menziesii

Canyon gooseberry

Family: Grossulariaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Canyon gooseberry is a California native shrub found in western foothills and mountain areas in rocky chaparral and woodland habitats. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white and purple flowers with petals curled inward, developing in small clusters of one to three blooms. Growing up to 3 meters tall with distinctive nodal spines and dense bristly stems, the shrub has a dense, spreading growth habit. Its leaves are glandular-hairy, approximately 1.5 to 4 centimeters wide, with a textured surface that adds visual complexity to the plant. The fruit is a purple berry 8 to 10 millimeters long, covered in stiff, glandular bristles that give the plant a distinctive, textured appearance.

California counties: Humboldt, Santa Clara, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Alameda, Del Norte, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Napa, Contra Costa, Solano, Nevada, Plumas

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.