Ribes speciosum
fuchsia-flowered gooseberry
Family GrossulariaceaeAlso called fuchsiaflower gooseberry
About
Ribes speciosum, the fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, is a spiny deciduous shrub of central and southern California and Baja California whose dangling scarlet spring flowers resemble fuchsias. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
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.
- Light
- Dappled shade to bright light.
- Water
- Suited to dry, drought-tolerant gardens.
- Mature size
- Up to 3 m (10 ft) tall, spreading.
Field notes
Morphology
A spreading shrub up to 3 m with bristly stems and three long spines at each node. Leathery, shallowly lobed leaves are glossy dark green above. Flowers, single or up to four, form a tube of scarlet, gland-studded sepals with red stamens and stigmas protruding up to 4 cm. The red-orange berry is about 1 cm and densely bristly.
Distribution & habitat
Central and southern California and Baja California, in scrub and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges.
Cultivation notes
Planted in drought-tolerant, native and wildlife gardens. Prefers dappled to bright light in dry gardens, including under oaks. Holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Mexico
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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