The names "Currant" and "Gooseberry" are used interchangeably for various members of the Ribes genus, but no distinguishing characteristics help separate Currants from Gooseberries; what one person calls a Currant, another calls a Gooseberry.  Common names often lump different species of plants together.  This web site calls all members of the Ribes genus, "Currants".  (Read about plant names.)

     The name "Ribes" is of disputed meaning: one version states that "Ribes" comes from the Danish "ribs" a name for red currants.  Another version is that "Ribes" is from the Arabic name for similar plants.  We do know that Linnaeus named this genus in 1753.

   To red flowering Ribes.  To yellow flowering Ribes.

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, canyons, rocky areas. Spring.
West Mancos Trail, June 26, 2004 and Robertson Pasture Trail, Abajo Mountains, Utah, June 2, 2006 and June 25, 2010.

Ribes cereum is many-branched and grows to six feet tall on dry sites.  Stems are gray and woody without spines or prickles.  Flowers are numerous and white, pink, or light yellow.  Leaves are small, rough (from numerous, short, stiff hairs), shallowly lobed, and have a pleasant spicy aroma.

The highly respected British collector, David Douglas, described and named this plant in 1829 after having collected it along the Columbia River in 1826.  He indicated that he found Ribes cereum "throughout the chain of the river Columbia from the Great Falls ... to the source ... in the Rocky Mountains".  (Intermountain Flora quotation.)

"Cereum" means "waxy" and refers to the waxy secretion of the leaves.  "Inebrians" is Latin for "drunk" and refers to intoxicating qualities of the fermented fruit.

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, canyons, rocky areas. Spring.
West Mancos Trail, June 26, 2004 and Robertson Pasture Trail, Abajo Mountains, Utah, June 2, 2006.

Flower color is white according to Weber and Intermountain Flora and pink-to-white according to Guennel and Welsh.  Notice the glandular hairs on the flowers and the wonderful shape of the protruding, green anthers (both characteristics are especially noticeable on the pink flowers).

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, canyons, rocky areas. Spring.
Fish Creek Trail, August 9, 2005.

Ribes cereum's smooth berries are soft and juicy, with a very mild fruity taste.

Montane. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring.
Shearer Creek Trail, May 17, 2006.

Tiny, drooping, green/yellow to yellow/white to white flowers make this common Currant a handsome shrub in relatively moist mountain woods.  Leaves are smooth and deeply lobed into almost three equal divisions.  Straight, to slightly curved spines are sometimes present.  (They can be seen near the center of the photograph along the main stem and more vividly in the next photograph.)  The smooth berries vary from red to green/purple or black.

Montane. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring.
Shearer Creek Trail, May 17, 2006.

Flower petals are green when just opening and white when fully opened.  Notice that the filaments (the stalks supporting the anthers) are quite long and project from the floral tube. 

Ribes inerme was first collected in Yellowstone National Park in 1885 by F. Tweedy and was named by Per Axel Rydberg in 1900.  "Inerme" is a misnomer, for it means "unarmed" and this Ribes definitely has spines.

Range maps © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Ribes cereum

Range map for Ribes inerme