English: Wax currant; Whisky currant.
Region: western North America, British Columbia, Alberta, western United States, Washington, Oregon, California, western Dakotas, Oklahoma.
Habitat: mountain forests in alpine climates, sagebrush, and woodlands; grows in many types of soils, sandy, clay substrates, serpentine soils, lava beds.
Use: fruit for food; leaves
BotanySpreading or erect shrub; 20 centimeters to 2 meters tall; aromatic, with a "spicy" scent.
Stems: fussy; very glandular; lacks spines and prickles.
Leaves: somewhat rounded; divided into shallow lobes; toothed along the edges; hairless to quite hairy; studded with visible resin glands, particularly around the edges.
Inflorescence: clustered raceme; 2 to 9 flowers.
Flowers: small; tubular; white to pink sepals curling open at the tips to form a corolla-like structure.; petals minute white or pinkish; five stamens; 2 protruding green styles.
Fruit: tasteless red berry; 1 cm wide, long, dried flower remnant at the end; somewhat toxic.