Ribes menziesii var. menziesii

Canyon gooseberry

Family: Grossulariaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Canyon gooseberry is a California native shrub found in northern coastal, central coastal, San Francisco Bay, and southern coastal regions in forest openings and chaparral at elevations below 1,820 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces white to pink flowers with red-tinged petals in small clusters. Growing up to 3 meters tall with arching branches, it forms a dense, multi-stemmed shrub with spreading habit. Its leaves are dark green, somewhat rounded, with 3 to 5 lobes, typically 2 to 5 centimeters wide, and not strongly aromatic. The fruit is a bluish-black to purple gooseberry that provides food for local wildlife.

Habitat: Forest openings, chaparral

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 1820 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO

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