Occasional observations on the wildflowers of 91011.
When does the new year begin? Oh, another trick question! Whose new year? Western? Chinese? Rosh Hashanah? If you were a flower, you’d surely be bored by the human obsession with calendars. Instead of looking to January 1st or, perhaps, to the spring equinox, you’d be much more anxious about When will it rain? Especially in Southern California, where it’s never guaranteed that February will once again be the rainiest month, and the rainy season may begin as early as October, as late as February, or not at all.
Of course, you’re not a flower. But if you’re a lover of flowers, the poignant fading of blossoms in the fall might spur you to wonder about when the next “year” will bring new blooms. In fact, every locale has its own answer. At Cherry Canyon, the case can be made that the Flower New Year — or the wildflowers’ “spring” — begins around December 1st. That’s when two flowers reliably emerge and often begin blooming (not counting species such as Cliff Aster or Mule Fat, which can bloom in almost any month). These two are literally early bloomers: Chilicothe, with its artful curving vines; and White-flowering Currant.
White-flowering Currant (Ribes indecorum) is one of three species of Ribes found in Cherry Canyon, and it’s always the first to appear. Like its sibling species (Golden Currant and Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry), it’s a medium-sized woody shrub. Often a bit spindly, it has thick leaves that are serrated but vaguely round, with a surface that is a bit hairy and has visible glands (which look like small pimples). The flowers are white with a touch of pink on the bracts at the base of the blossom. The flowers are petite but often numerous — and we really should complain about the Latin name (indecorum), which suggests the flower is “unbecoming” or unattractive. True, it’s not as showy as the other Ribes at Cherry Canyon, but it’s nonetheless charming. And because this shrub is in flower when most of its neighbors are dormant and leafless, White-flowering Currant often stands out, putting on a show in the absence of any competition. Like all species of Ribes — “gooseberries” if they have thorns, “currants” if they don’t — it produces berries favored by many birds, and it’s also popular in native plant gardens.
When and where to find it. White-flowering Currant should be looked for at Cherry Canyon just after Thanksgiving, but its blossoms may linger even into February. Although it occurs as far north as San Luis Obispo, it’s really a flower of the Southern California coastal ranges, stretching from Santa Barbara to Baja California. Although it’s not a rare species, there aren’t that many records in our part of the San Gabriels. At Cherry Canyon, though, there are perhaps a dozen shrubs to be found not far from where the Descanso fire road meets the Forest Hill fire road.
- For more about White-flowering Currant, visit Wikipedia.
- For information about growing Ribes indecorum in your yard, visit Calscape.org.
- For distribution maps, taxonomy, and more photos, visit Calflora.org.
- You can also read (or subscribe to) other occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011.
