Chaparral currant

Ribes malvaceum

Description

The Chaparral currant is a tough deciduous shrub that naturally occurs in coastal areas of California. It can grow 4-6 ft. tall and produces small clusters of fragrant rose colored flowers in the spring. Medium green leaves have rough surfaces, serrated margins and three lobes.

The Chaparral currant is a good understory plant around the Coast live oak in combination with coffeeberry, toyon, manzanita and ceanothus. It provides both nectar and edible berries for birds, as well as attractive flowering for garden value. A number of cultivars can be found from time to time, including: R. m. ‘Ortega Rose’ that produces light pink flowers, R. m. ‘Outback’ has deep pink flowers, and R. m. ‘Cristy Ridge’ grows white and soft pink colored flowers.

Plant Type: Shrub
Foliage Character: Winter deciduous, Drought deciduous
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: Pink
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Silt, Loam, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Moderate shade, Partial sun
Function: Fragrant flowers, Attracts butterflies, Wildlife value, Residential spaces, Hummingbird plant, Foundations, Flowering accent plant, California native, Banks, Background plant
Height: 4 ft. – 6 ft.
Width: 4 ft. – 6 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.