Evergreen Current

Evergreen current (Ribes viburnifolium)

Few people are aware that there’s a native current (or gooseberry) species on the Punta Banda peninsula.

The evergreen current, also known as Santa Catalina Island current of island gooseberry, only grows in coastal areas from San Diego County southward to El Rosario in central Baja, and on several islands including Catalina, Todos Santos, and Cedros islands.

This low growing shrub has shiny dark green leaves and deep red flowers that bloom in late winter and early spring. The flowers attract hummingbirds, and the red fruits provide a food source for native birds and other wildlife.

The habitat for evergreen gooseberry is coastal sage scrub and coastal succulent scrub. On the Punta Banda peninsula, this species is found growing in moist, wind-swept, and foggy sage scrub and  chaparral.