About
Ribes roezlii, the Sierra gooseberry, is a spiny shrub of the mountains of California, Nevada and Oregon, notable for its large, heavily spined red-purple berries.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Mature size
- Up to about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall.
Field notes
Morphology
An erect spiny shrub up to about 1.2 m. Leaves up to 2.5 cm long have 3–5 rounded, toothed lobes. One to three small, wind-pollinated flowers hang from the branches, with reflexed red-purple sepals around white or pinkish petals. The red or purple berry reaches 2.5 cm and is covered in thick, long spines.
Distribution & habitat
Many California mountain ranges, extending into Nevada and Oregon, in chaparral, woodland and forest. Var. amictum is uncommon in California.
Ecology
Seeds spread by running water and by fruit-eating animals such as black bears. Mule deer and bighorn sheep browse the foliage, and fox sparrows commonly eat the fruit.
History & etymology
The berries are edible only as emergency food; they are unpalatable.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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