About Ribes velutinum Greene
Ribes velutinum is a spreading shrub that reaches up to 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) in height. It produces a thick, arching, multibranched stem that can grow up to 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) long. Nodes along the stems are armed with spines that may reach 2 centimetres (3⁄4 in) in length. These structures are true spines, not prickles, because they develop from leaf tissue rather than the plant's outer epidermal skin layer. The species has thick, leathery leaves with generally rounded blades that are shallowly divided into three or five lobes, and the blades are dotted with glandular hairs. The small leaf blades are borne on petioles. The inflorescence is either a single solitary flower, or a raceme holding up to four flowers. Each small flower forms a tube made up of white or yellowish sepals, with smaller petals of the same similar color inside the tube. The blooming period for Ribes velutinum falls between April and May. The fruit is a berry 0.5–1 cm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) wide. It ripens first to yellow, then later changes to reddish or purple. The berry is dry and considered unpalatable. This species is endemic to the deserts and mountains of the Western United States, and is native to regions in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, California, and Arizona. It grows in a variety of habitat types, including sagebrush scrub, pinyon–juniper woodland, and yellow pine forest.
