| Chaparral Currant | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Ribes malvaceum Sm. | ||||||||||||||
Ribes malvaceum, called "chaparral currant", is a member of the Grossulariaceae (gooseberry family). It is endemic to California. It occurs below 1500 m in chaparral, foothill oak woodland, and closed-cone pine forest ranging from Baja California to the San Francisco Bay area and inner Northern Coastal Ranges.
Less than 2 meters tall, this perennial shrub lacks the characteristic nodal spines which are demonstrated on the stems of many other members in the genus Ribes. The leaf blades (20-50 mm) are densely hairy, glandular, and double toothed.
Infloresences are 10-25 flowered and open. The hypanthium (5-8 mm) is pink and about twice as long as it is wide. The sepals are pink-purple in color and are 4-6 mm. Petals are 2-3 mm and can range in color from pink-white. The flower also contains two fused styles which are fused to the tip and have a hairy base. A purple glaucous fruit (6-7 mm) is produced which is glandular and is covered by white hairs.
There are two varieties of R. malvaceum:
- var. malvaceum
- var. viridifolium