''Ribes divaricatum'' is a species in the genus ''

Ribes ''Ribes'' () is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The species may be known as various kinds of currants, such as redcurrants, blackcurrants, and White ...

'' found in the forests, woodlands, and coastal scrub of western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The three accepted varieties have various

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s which include the word "gooseberry". Other common names include coast black gooseberry, wild gooseberry, Worcesterberry, or spreading-branched gooseberry.

Description

''Ribes divaricatum'' is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

sometimes reaching in height with woody branches with one to three thick brown spines at

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

nodes. The leaves are borne on petioles, up to long and wide. They are generally palmate in shape, 3–5 lobed and edged with teeth. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a small cluster of hanging flowers, each with reflexed purple-tinted green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and smaller, white to red petals encircling long, protruding

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. The fruit is a sweet-tasting purplish-black

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

up to wide.

Similar species

It is similar to '' Ribes lacustre'' and '' R. lobbii'', but the former has smaller, reddish to maroon flowers and the latter has reddish flowers that resemble those of

fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. Almost 110 species of ''Fuchsia'' are recognized; the vast majority are native to South America, but a few occur north through Central America to Mex ...

s and sticky leaves.

Taxonomy

;VarietiesUSDA PLANTS, name search: ''Ribes divaricatum''
/ref> *''Ribes divaricatum'' var. ''divaricatum'', or spreading gooseberry is found in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, Washington, and British Columbia. *''Ribes divaricatum'' var. ''parishii'', called Parish's gooseberry, is found only in California. ''R. d.'' var. ''parishii'' was published in ''A Flora of California''. 2: 151. 1936. Berkeley, London, San Francisco. *''Ribes divaricatum'' var. ''pubiflorum'', known as straggly gooseberry is native to both California and Oregon. ''R. d.'' var. ''pubiflorum'' was published in ''Deutsche Dendrologie''. 200. 1893.

Uses

The berries are ripe when black and edible. The fruit was food for a number of Native American groups of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, and other parts of the plant, especially the bark, was used for medicinal purposes.

References

External links

*
Jepson Manual TreatmentCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California: var. ''pubiflorum''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2029489 divaricatum Flora of the West Coast of the United States Flora of British Columbia Plants described in 1830 Bird food plants Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora without expected TNC conservation status