About Ribes roezlii Regel
Ribes roezlii Regel is an erect spiny shrub that reaches a maximum height of around 1.2 metres (4 ft). Its leaves range from hairless to hairy or woolly, are up to 2.5 centimetres (1 in) long, and are divided into 3 to 5 rounded, toothed lobes. The inflorescence is either a solitary flower or a raceme holding 2 to 3 small wind-pollinated flowers that hang pendent from the branches. Each flower has five reflexed red-purple sepals that surround a tube-shaped ring of smaller white or pinkish petals, with protruding stamens and stigmas. The fruit is a red or purple berry up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long, covered in thick, long spines. Among other overlapping-range currants and gooseberries, including mountain gooseberry and wax currant, this species, commonly called sierra gooseberry, is especially notable for the large size and extreme spininess of its berries, and for lacking a noticeable dried flower remnant at the end of the fruit. Ribes roezlii is native to many mountain ranges in California, with its distribution extending east into Nevada and north into Oregon. It grows in chaparral, woodlands, and forested habitats. The variety Ribes roezlii var. amictum is uncommon within California. Seeds of this species are dispersed by running water and by animals that eat its fruits, such as American black bears. Its foliage is an important food source for mule deer and bighorn sheep, and its fruits are a common food for fox sparrows that live within its range. The berries can be eaten by humans in emergency situations, but they are unpalatable.
