Ribes roezlii
Encyclopedia
Ribes roezlii is a species of currant
known by the common name Sierra gooseberry.
, its distribution extending just into Nevada
and north into Oregon
. Its habitat includes chaparral
, woodlands, and forested areas.
growing erect to a maximum height around 1.2 meters. The hairless to hairy or woolly leaves are up to 2.5 centimeters long and divided into 3 or 5 rounded, toothed lobes.
The inflorescence
is a solitary flower or raceme
of 2 or 3 small wind-pollinated
flowers hanging pendent from the branches. Each flower has five reflexed red-purple sepal
s around a tube-shaped ring of smaller white or pinkish petals, the stamen
s and stigmas
protruding. The fruit is a red or purple berry
up to 2.5 centimeters long which is covered in thick, long spines. Among other currants and gooseberries with overlapping ranges, such as mountain gooseberry (Ribes montigenum
) or wax currant (Ribes cereum
), the Sierra gooseberry is especially notable for the large size and extreme spininess of its berries, and for the absence of a noticeable dried flower remnant at the end of the fruit.
Seeds are dispersed
by running water and by animals that eat the fruits, such as American black bears
. The foliage is an important food source for mule deer
and bighorn sheep
, and the fruits are a common food for Fox Sparrow
s living in its range.
Ribes
Ribes is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae. Seven subgenera are recognized....
known by the common name Sierra gooseberry.
Distribution
It is native to many of the mountain ranges of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, its distribution extending just into Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and north into Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Its habitat includes chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, woodlands, and forested areas.
Description
Ribes roezlii is a spiny shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing erect to a maximum height around 1.2 meters. The hairless to hairy or woolly leaves are up to 2.5 centimeters long and divided into 3 or 5 rounded, toothed lobes.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a solitary flower or raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of 2 or 3 small wind-pollinated
Anemophily
Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind. Anemophilous plants may be either gymnosperms or angiosperms ....
flowers hanging pendent from the branches. Each flower has five reflexed red-purple sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s around a tube-shaped ring of smaller white or pinkish petals, the stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and stigmas
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
protruding. The fruit is a red or purple berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
up to 2.5 centimeters long which is covered in thick, long spines. Among other currants and gooseberries with overlapping ranges, such as mountain gooseberry (Ribes montigenum
Ribes montigenum
Ribes montigenum is a species of currant known by the common names mountain gooseberry, alpine prickly currant, and gooseberry currant. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to New Mexico, where it grows in high mountain habitat types in subalpine and alpine...
) or wax currant (Ribes cereum
Ribes cereum
Ribes cereum is a species of currant known by the common names wax currant and squaw currant...
), the Sierra gooseberry is especially notable for the large size and extreme spininess of its berries, and for the absence of a noticeable dried flower remnant at the end of the fruit.
Seeds are dispersed
Biological dispersal
Biological dispersal refers to species movement away from an existing population or away from the parent organism. Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics, population...
by running water and by animals that eat the fruits, such as American black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
. The foliage is an important food source for mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
and bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, and the fruits are a common food for Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
The Fox Sparrow is a large American sparrow. It is the only member of the genus Passerella, although some authors split the genus into four species .-Taxonomy:...
s living in its range.