Description

Ribes viburnifolium, commonly known as Catalina Currant or Island Gooseberry, is a remarkably drought-tolerant, evergreen shrub prized for its glossy, aromatic foliage and sprawling, mounding habit. Native to the Channel Islands of California and Baja California, this tough, shade-loving shrub features thin, arching, deep red stems covered in small, oval, leathery, dark green leaves that emit a pleasant spicy-resinous fragrance when brushed. In late winter to mid-spring, it produces small, open clusters of star-shaped, rose-pink to purple-pink flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The flowers are followed by small, sticky, red berries in summer that are attractive to birds. Exceptionally tolerant of clay soils, dry shade, and summer drought, it is an outstanding choice for planting under native oaks, on north-facing slopes, in wildlife gardens, and as a low, spreading ground cover.