Participant Info

Species

Ribes inerme [Grossularia inermis]

Family

Grossulariaceae

CommonName

mountain currant

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1900

LatestDate

2021

Ecosystem

basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, subalpine

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

Cumbres, La Veta, Los Pinos, North, Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Baca, Brown Lakes, Great Sand Dunes, La Jara

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, near Church Creek just SW of South Fork 29 June 2021

Comments

Mountain currant occupies the same vegetative zones as Ribes cereus—although usually it is not found at the higher elevations. Ribes inerme prefers edges of forested areas and along streams. It is found in all USA states west of the Great Plains, extending on up into western Canada. It follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico but not into Texas. Note that the specific name means "unarmed," but don't believe it if you are taking close-up photographs. Possibly the specific epithet referred to the berries, which do not have the prickles present in some species of Ribes (e.g., Ribes wolfii).

Annotation