Ribes bracteosum

Native from Mendocino County northwards, this deciduous shrub is distinctive for its long, upright inflorescences and large, shiny leaves up to eight inches wide. As many as fifty of the soft orange, saucer-shaped flowers can occur on a single stem in the spring followed by small blue fruits in late summer. In shaded, moist conditions the blue currant can reach a height and width of about six feet but can get larger in cool, wet areas along the coast. Combine with other plants of the redwood forest such as ferns, sorrel and wild ginger.