Northern California has had a strange spring - we had weeks of near 80 degree F weather in January, then a very wet February, and now a more typical March (drizzly and 50 degrees F). This red flowering currant decided to bloom already, and I was happy to see it! This shrub was growing in a riparian zone, along a maintained pathway/fire road in the Berkeley Hills (Wilcat Canyon). According to the Jepson Manual (Hickman 1993), it occurs in "many habitats". This variety is distinguished from R. sanguineum var. sanguineum due to its pendant inflorescence.
