Ribes niveum

Ribes niveum is a North American species of currant known by the common names snowy gooseberry,^[3] white-flowered gooseberry,^[3] or snow currant.^[4]

Ribes niveum
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Saxifragales
Family:	Grossulariaceae
Genus:	Ribes
Species:	R. niveum
Binomial name
Ribes niveum Lindl., 1834
Synonyms[2]
Grossularia nivea (Lindl.) Spach (1838) Ribes gracile Michx. (1803) Ribes niveum f. pilosum H.St.John (1937)

Description

Ribes niveum is a shrub up to 3 meters (10 feet) tall. The branches have 1–3 spines at the nodes.^[5] The leaves are 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 in) wide, with 3–5 toothed lobes.^[5]

The flowers are white or pale pink. The berries are dark blue or dark purple, and are palatable but sour.^[3][6][5]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to the western United States (Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada with isolated populations in Colorado and New Mexico).^[7] It grows in open hillsides and thickets along streams.^[8]