Ribes montigenum Mc Clatchie

More info for the terms: prescribed fire, restoration

The Research Project Summary Vegetation response to restoration treatments
in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana provides information
on prescribed fire and postfire response of plant community species,
including gooseberry currant, that was not available when this species
review was written.

gooseberry currant
mountain gooseberry
subalpine prickly currant
western prickly gooseberry

Cover values for gooseberry currant are as follows [8]:

                              UT            WY
Pronghorn                    poor          poor
Elk                          poor          poor
Mule deer                    poor          fair
White-tailed deer            ----          poor
Small mammals                fair          good
Small nongame birds          fair          good
Upland game birds            fair          good
Waterfowl                    poor          poor

More info for the term: shrub

Gooseberry currant is a native, deciduous shrub growing from 0.6 to 3.3
feet (0.2-1 m) tall.  Its many low, straggling branches are bristly.
The orbicular, five-lobed leaves are 0.4 to 1.6 inches (1-4 cm) long, at
least as wide, and glandular-pubescent on both sides.  Drooping racemes
are three- to eight-flowered.  The smooth, globose berries are 0.2 to
0.4 inch (5-10 mm) in diameter and contain numerous seeds
[6,10,14,16,45].

The distribution of gooseberry currant ranges from British Columbia east
to central Montana, south to New Mexico, and west to the Sierra Nevada
and the Cascade Range [6,14,16,44,45].

More info for the terms: root crown, scarification, seed

The fire ecology of gooseberry currant is not described in the
literature.  Although many authors discuss the effect of fire on Ribes
spp., most refer to studies conducted by Quick [31,32].  Quick described
postfire seedling establishment by Sierra Nevada gooseberry (R. roezli).

Gooseberry currant regeneration is probably favored by fire because
scarification of soil-stored seed generally enhances germination in
Ribes spp. [5,38,39].  The ability of gooseberry currant to sprout from
the root crown after fire is described in the literature as "variable"
[5,6].

In south-central Colorado quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)/gooseberry
currant communities may be prescribe burned in the fall to encourage
quaking aspen regeneration.  Many of the community's undergrowth plants
have high or moderate fire resistance and a postfire community "quickly"
resembles the prefire one [29].

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the terms: forest, litter, series

Gooseberry currant occurs on a variety of sites.  It is found in dry,
rocky places from the middle subalpine zone to timberline, sometimes
extending into alpine communities.  It grows on open, talus or scree
slopes, on ridges, and in boulder fields, meadows, and forests
[5,16,25,42,45].  It may also occur along streams and in wet forests,
ravines, and washes [10,23].  Gooseberry currant occurs on loamy or
clayey soils that contain gravel [7,23,40].  In northern Utah, habitat
types in which gooseberry currant occurs have an average litter depth of
1.2 to 2.9 inches (3-7.4 cm) [23].  In central Idaho, average litter
depth where gooseberry currant occurs may reach 2 inches (5 cm) [40].

Where gooseberry currant occurs in the Engelmann spruce (Picea
engelmannii)-bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) series in New Mexico,
climate is at the cold extreme for forests.  The mean annual air
temperature is 34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (1-2 deg C), and the mean
soil temperature is 33 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 deg C).  The growing
season for forest plants is less than 110 days [24].

Elevational ranges for gooseberry currant are as follows:

                    feet   meters
California [17] 6,930-15,840         2,100-4,800
Colorado [16]         7,500-11,500            2,273-3,485
central Idaho [40] 8,400- 9,800            2,545-2,970
Utah [45] 7,046-12,078 2,135-3,660

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

   206  Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir
   208  Whitebark pine
   209  Bristlecone pine
   211  White fir
   213  Grand fir
   216  Blue spruce
   218  Lodgepole pine
   219  Limber pine
   220  Rocky Mountain juniper
   256  California mixed subalpine

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES23  Fir-spruce
   FRES26  Lodgepole pine
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES34  Chaparral-mountain shrub
   FRES44  Alpine

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

   K004  Fir-hemlock forest
   K008  Lodgepole pine-subalpine forest
   K015  Western spruce-fir forest
   K020  Spruce-fir-Douglas-fir forest
   K021  Southwestern spruce-fir forest
   K037  Mountain-mahogany-oak scrub
   K038  Great Basin sagebrush
   K052  Alpine meadows and barren
   K055  Sagebrush steppe

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: forb, grassland, woodland

   108  Alpine Idaho fescue
   213  Alpine grassland
   322  Curlleaf mountain-mahogany-bluebunch wheatgrass
   402  Mountain big sagebrush
   409  Tall forb
   410  Alpine rangeland
   411  Aspen woodland
   415  Curlleaf mountain-mahogany
   416  True mountain-mahogany
   417  Littleleaf mountain-mahogany

More info for the term: fruit

The fruit of Ribes spp. is a valuable food source for songbirds,
chipmunks, ground squirrels, and other animals [22].

More info for the terms: cover, forest, habitat type

Gooseberry currant occurs in subalpine forests and extends into alpine
communities throughout the West.

In addition to the plant associations and cover types listed in
preceding slots, gooseberry currant occurs in the gooseberry
currant/slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus) habitat type in Six
Mile Canyon, central Utah.  Associated grass species include California
brome (Bromus carinatus) and Letterman needlegrass (Stipa lettermanii)
[33].

Species associated with gooseberry currant but not previously mentioned
include:  Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum), serviceberry (Amelanchier
spp.), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Oregon-grape (Mahonia
repens), sedge (Carex spp.), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.), field
horsetail (Equisetum arvense), strawberry (Fragaria spp.), common
juniper (Juniperus communis), woodrush (Luzula spp.), pachistima
(Pachistima myrsinites), sickletop lousewort (Pedicularis racemosa),
bluegrass (Poa spp.), skunkleaf polemonium (Polemonium pulcherrimum),
chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), bittercherry (P. emarginata), white
spiraea (Spiraea betulifolia), snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.),
huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.), and beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax)
[1,2,7,23,24,29,35].

Gooseberry currant is listed as a dominant understory species in the
following publications:

  Fire ecology of the forest habitat types of eastern Idaho and western
    Wyoming [5]
  Coniferous forest habitat types of northern Utah [23]
  Aspen community types of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in
    south-central Colorado [29]
  Coniferous forest habitat types of the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming [35]
  Forest habitat types of the South Warner Mountains, Modoc County,
    California [36]

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

More info for the term: association

Gooseberry currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust
(Cronartium ribicola) which infests five-needled pines.  Because of
their association with the rust, Ribes spp. have been the targets of
various eradication efforts; however, these efforts have not been
successful in the western states [15,27].

Currants (Ribes spp.) contain high concentrations of mono- and
disaccharides [48].

     AZ  CA  CO  ID  MT  NV  NM  OR  UT  WA
     WY  AB  BC

Currants (Ribes spp.) can be used for making jam, jelly, or pie [28].
Some western Indian tribes used currants for making pemmican [26].

Gooseberry currant is not very palatable to livestock [8,11].  In
Ephraim Canyon on the Wasatch Plateau, Utah, domestic sheep browsed
gooseberry currant only a little or not at all.  Observations were made
in a 9-acre pasture for 2 consecutive years in July while a variety of
other forage species were available [11].  Dittberner and Olson [8] rate
the palatability of gooseberry currant in Utah as poor for cattle and
horses and good for sheep.

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: fruit

Gooseberry currant flowers from late June to August [6,28].  Fruit
ripens from August to September [28].

More info for the term: shrub

In New Mexico spruce-fir forests and Utah tall shrub communities,
gooseberry currant was described as a dominant early seral species after
fire [9,11].  The origin of gooseberry currant (seedlings or sprouts) in
postfire communities was not described.

More info for the term: fire regime

Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)


FIRE REGIMES : Find fire regime information for the plant communities in
which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: adventitious, duff, root crown, scarification, seed

Gooseberry currant reproduces vegetatively and by seed.

Neither the root system of gooseberry currant nor its ability to sprout
from the root crown after fire or disturbance is described in the
literature; however, on the Wasatch Plateau, Utah, Ellison [11] observed
gooseberry currant forming adventitious roots.  Decumbent outer branches
partially covered by earth were rooting.  The plants were spreading
outward and dying in the center, forming a clonal ring.  The rings were
sometimes 15 to 20 feet (4.5-6.1 m) in diameter.

Ribes spp. generally begin fruiting after 3 years [3].  Many seeds fall
beneath the parent plant; they are also dispersed by birds and animals.
Fallen seeds of Ribes spp. may remain viable in the soil and duff for
many years [38,39].

Mineral soil and scarification generally enhance germination in Ribes
spp. [38,39,46].  In the laboratory, a 53 percent germination was
obtained without scarification by stratifying gooseberry currant seeds
at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 deg C) for 200 to 300 days.  Seeds were
stratified and germinated in sand moistened with nutrient solution [28].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    2  Cascade Mountains
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: constancy, cover, forest, shrub

Gooseberry currant is somewhat shade tolerant.  It grows in dense
forests with few canopy openings, but it occurs most often and grows
most vigorously on sites without forest canopy.  In the Big Horn
Mountains of Wyoming, gooseberry currant occurred in the understory of
spruce (Picea spp.)-fir (Abies spp.) forests but its average cover was
less than 1 percent [7].  In the Crested Butte area of west-central
Colorado, gooseberry currant was the most common tall shrub in dense
spruce-fir forests, occurring throughout the understory with a constancy
of 72 percent and an average cover of 4 percent.  In canopy openings it
formed thickets [21].  Near timberline in Colorado and Utah, gooseberry
currant formed a dense fringe around spruce and fir "tree islands"
[11,18,21,23].

The currently accepted scientific name for gooseberry currant is Ribes
montigenum McClatchie. It is a member of the gooseberry family
(Grossulariaceae). There are no recognized infrataxa [17,19].

More info for the terms: natural, seed

Gooseberry currant can be used to revegetate disturbed mountain areas.
Plummer [47] rated the suitability of gooseberry currant for restoring
high-elevation mountain environments as follows:

        seed establishment good
        transplant establishment very good
        seed production                         medium
        natural seed spread medium
        vegetative spread good
        growth rate medium
        soil stability good
        adaptation to disturbance good