Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Ribes indecorum is a species of currant known by the common names white-flowered currant and white chaparral currant. It is native to the southern California Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges, from around Santa Barbara County in California south into northern Baja California.

It is an erect shrub approaching three meters in maximum height. The stem is fuzzy and glandular in texture. The deciduous leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The thick, wrinkly blades are divided into three to five toothed lobes, and are hairy, glandular, and aromatic. The inflorescence is a loose raceme of 10 to 25 flowers. The flower is roughly tubular with the white or pink-tinged sepals spreading open to reveal smaller whitish petals inside. Flowers bloom in late winter / early spring, and have an exceptionally pleasant fragrance, among the best of any California native.The fruit is a hairy, sticky very attractive berry that can be orange, purple, pink or red, and are under a centimeter wide.

White Flowering Currant is very drought tolerant once established, but still does does best in part shade, or in spots that retain slightly more moisture, such as creek sides, north or east facing slopes, or adjacent to boulders. Best to avoid direct summer water after this plant is established. It'll go nearly completely summer deciduous, and then spring back to life with the start of the rainy season.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

5 - 10 ft Tall
1 - 2 ft Wide

Form

Upright Columnar

Growth rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous, Summer Semi-deciduous, Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

White, Pink

Flowering season

Winter

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade, Full Sun

Water

Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -15° F

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Rich, loamy soil.
Soil PH: 6 - 8

Sunset Zones

7, 8, 9, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Dry slopes, often near boulders or creeks, shady slopes or in gullies. Often grows under oak trees, and sometimes under sycamores.

Plant communities

Chaparral

Hummingbirds
Bats
Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 72 likely

Confirmed Likely

Agrochola pulchella

Agrochola purpurea