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Ribes viburnifolium (Catalina Currant) - A typically open wide spreading evergreen shrub that grows 3-4 feet tall (a bit taller with support) and spreading to 6 feet wide. It has thin dark red stems bearing ovate 1-inch-wide aromatic leathery dark green leaves on stems arching up and out from the center of the plant. The small rose pink star-shaped flowers held in open cluster appear in late winter to mid spring. Plant in sun (with irrigation) or light shade along coast to shade inland. It is quite tolerant of clay soil and requires little or no supplemental water in summer months, making it a great native shrub candidate for planting underneath an oak canopy. We have several such stands on our nursery that we never irrigate, and they continue to look stunning, even after the 5 years of drought from 2011-16. This plant is reliably root hardy to around 10° F (some note even a bit lower). Catalina Currant is a great ornamental shrub for the garden either left to grow open and loose or tipped back to make a denser plant. Its edible berries are attractive to birds, though its foliage is noted as not being particularly attractive to deer. Trim back the tips to promote a bushier plant or leave loose.
Catalina Currant is native to Santa Catalina Island and extreme coastal southern California into Baja California, where it can be found growing in full to part shade. It is considered to be a rare and endangered plant in the wild. The name Ribes comes from the Syrian or Kurdish 'ribas', a name for other plants in this genus and the specific epithet means "leaves like Viburnum". Other common names include Viburnumleaf Currant, Catalina Perfume and Evergreen Currant. We also grow a form that we introduced in 1998 with denser growth and broader leaves that comes from the mainland near the US and Mexico border - we named this form Ribes viburnifolium 'Spooner's Mesa'.
The information displayed on this page about Ribes viburnifolium is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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