I didn't plant this and have no idea what it is. It's growing right at the base of my chimney and the stems are about 18 inches long right now. (There's a columbine growing underneath it.)

Reminds me of Geranium. Could it be Geranium lucidum?

http://www.kingcounty.gov/envi...

http://piercecountyweedboard.w...

http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/siteFil...

Mmmm, don't think so. This has very thick, woody stems, which you can see if you look closely at the photo. That stem is probably about 3/8 inch in diameter or maybe a bit less.

Ok, little more information. I dug it up, because regardless of what it is, it can't stay where it is. It has at the very least a woody tap root, but also appears to spread by underground runners. I stuck it in a pot in case it turns out to be something interesting.

It looks like a Ribes sp. You have many more species than I have here.

Yep, a gooseberry or currant (Ribes). You'd need the flowers and/or the fruits to figure out for certain which species it is.

You are most likely correct in it being Ribes sp., probably from a seed dropped by a bird. I probably didn't notice it at first because the foliage is very similar to the columbines growing in that spot. Haven't found any pictures that show foliage quite like this one; they mostly appear to be more rigid and less deeply lobed. These leaves are very soft, the texture is similar to those columbines it was growing with. And there are no thorns. If it survives my rude extraction (looks reasonably ok this morning) and goes on to bloom, maybe we can figure out which one it is. Thanks for steering me in this direction; I think it's the right one.

I'm so glad you got an ID on your plant; LOL, I didn't realize those leaves were coming from the woody stems ... I thought it was coming from the ground beneath those branches. There are probably many varieties of Ribes that grow in your area, all with pretty blooms; the one with the pinkish/red flowers that grows on the west coast is really beautiful:

http://courses.washington.edu/...

Oh my! That is pretty! Well, we'll see if I can keep this poor thing alive. I probably should move it back into the shady area where it was growing. The only pot I could find that was big enough for it is sitting in full sun. Think I'll go do that right now. Thanks, Lin! If the flowers look anything like that, it may find a permanent spot.

woofie said: And there are no thorns. If it survives my rude extraction (looks reasonably ok this morning) and goes on to bloom, maybe we can figure out which one it is. Thanks for steering me in this direction; I think it's the right one.

The lack of spines cuts the list of possible species in half (more or less). Still a pretty long list, though.

This looks very like it:
http://www.nwplants.com/busine...

Oh, another pretty one ... I love yellow flowers!

This is the only photo I've come across so far that looks like what I have. And all the photos on the page look like it. So, looks pretty definite that it's a Ribes, and I'm thinking that this may very well be the correct species, particularly since it appears to be common in this general area. I'm going to leave this thread open, tho, until a) it flowers or b) it expires from it's rather abrupt extirpation.

If it is a wild plant, your best bet is find a native plant key for your area, and narrow it down with that.

I wouldn't think it is possible to accurately ID a Ribes with foliage alone, unless you were already familiar with the species in the area.

Update: The plant survived the winter in its pot and has finally flowered. Looks a lot like that Ribes aureum (Golden Currant).