Canyon Gooseberry

Description

The canyon gooseberry, Ribes menziesii, is an aromatic deciduous shrub with very prickly branches growing up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. It has somewhat rounded, hairy, glandular green leaves. Its showy hanging flowers have sepals which are reflexed, or folded backwards along the length of the flower. The sepals are fuchsia or purple. The petals are white and extend forward to form a loose tube from which the stamens emerge. The plant fruits purple gooseberries which are edible but are mainly seeds with little fruit, generally regarded as unpalatable. The plant's spines also make collecting fruit difficult.