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bitter gooseberry

desert gooseberry, Goodding's gooseberry

Habit Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, villous, stipitate-glandular, glabrescent; spines at nodes 3, 5–10 mm; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 0.5–2 m. Stems spreading, (densely and intricately branched), glabrous or copiously pubescent when young; spines at nodes 1–3, 5–20 mm; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole 2–4 cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

blade roundish, 3–5-lobed, cleft 1/4–1/3 to midrib, 2–4 cm, base cordate, surfaces puberulent, stipitate-glandular, lobes oblong to cuneate, sides parallel, margins crenate, apex rounded or deltate.

petiole 0.2–1.5(–3.3) cm, pilose and glandular or stipitate-glandular;

blade nearly orbiculate to cordate or reniform, 3–5-lobed, cleft 1/3–1/2(–3/4) to midrib, 0.5–2 cm, base broadly truncate to cordate, surfaces glabrous or finely pubescent and slightly glandular-puberulent, lobes cuneate, margins entire or 2–3-toothed, apex rounded.

Inflorescences

pendent, solitary flowers or 2–3-flowered racemes, 4–8 cm (nearly as long as leaves), axis pubescent, stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced.

spreading, solitary flowers or 2(–3)-flowered racemes, 0.5–1 cm (much shorter than leaves), axis pubescent, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

not jointed, 6–8 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

bracts broadly ovate, 3–5 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular.

not jointed, 1–3(–4) mm, glabrous, pubescent, or glandular-pubescent;

bracts lanceolate-ovate, 1–2 mm, pubescent.

Flowers

hypanthium reddish, campanulate, 5–7 mm (1/2 as long as sepals), pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

sepals not overlapping, reflexed, maroon, lanceolate, 7–8 mm;

petals connivent, erect, pinkish white, oblong, inrolled, 2–5 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens 2 times as long as petals;

filaments linear, 7–8 mm, glabrous;

anthers maroon, lanceolate, somewhat sagittate, 3 mm, apex apiculate;

ovary densely glandular-bristly;

styles connate 3/8 their lengths, 12–20 mm, glabrous.

hypanthium whitish or yellowish, sometimes pink tinged, tubular to slightly campanulate, 1–2.5(–2.8) mm, glabrous, pubescent, or stipitate-glandular and pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, becoming indurate;

sepals not overlapping, spreading to nearly erect, yellow to pinkish, oblong, 1–2 mm;

petals nearly connivent, erect, white or yellowish, elliptic-oblanceolate or oblong-obovate to spatulate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1.5–2.5 mm;

nectary disc greenish or cream, raised, roundish, covering much of ovary;

stamens nearly as long as petals;

filaments linear, 0.6–1.1 mm, glabrous;

anthers pale yellow to light violet, oval, 0.5–1.2 mm, apex blunt or with punctate notch;

ovary usually densely crisped-puberulent and stipitate-glandular, rarely glabrous;

styles completely connate, 3 mm, glabrous or finely pubescent.

Berries

palatable, purple, globose, 15–20 mm, bristles stiff, mostly glandular, some eglandular.

palatable, yellow, becoming purple or dark reddish, globose, 4–9.5 mm, glabrous, sparsely to densely pubescent, or sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular pubescent.

Ribes amarum

Ribes velutinum

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Chaparral, montane coniferous forest Sagebrush scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, yellow pine forests
Elevation 0-2100 m (0-6900 ft) 300-3500 m (1000-11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ribes amarum occurs in central and southern California and in the central Sierra Nevada southward. Plants from the Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara County with hairy fruits have been named var. hoffmannii. This species shares the apiculate, short-indehiscent anthers with other species in this group.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The leaves of Ribes velutinum are thick and leathery.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 30. FNA vol. 8, p. 27.
Parent taxa Grossulariaceae > Ribes Grossulariaceae > Ribes
Sibling taxa
R. acerifolium, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, R. cereum, R. curvatum, R. cynosbati, R. diacanthum, R. divaricatum, R. echinellum, R. erythrocarpum, R. glandulosum, R. hirtellum, R. hudsonianum, R. indecorum, R. inerme, R. lacustre, R. lasianthum, R. laxiflorum, R. leptanthum, R. lobbii, R. malvaceum, R. marshallii, R. menziesii, R. mescalerium, R. missouriense, R. montigenum, R. nevadaense, R. nigrum, R. niveum, R. oxyacanthoides, R. pinetorum, R. quercetorum, R. roezlii, R. rotundifolium, R. rubrum, R. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, R. uva-crispa, R. velutinum, R. viburnifolium, R. victoris, R. viscosissimum, R. watsonianum, R. wolfii
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, R. cereum, R. curvatum, R. cynosbati, R. diacanthum, R. divaricatum, R. echinellum, R. erythrocarpum, R. glandulosum, R. hirtellum, R. hudsonianum, R. indecorum, R. inerme, R. lacustre, R. lasianthum, R. laxiflorum, R. leptanthum, R. lobbii, R. malvaceum, R. marshallii, R. menziesii, R. mescalerium, R. missouriense, R. montigenum, R. nevadaense, R. nigrum, R. niveum, R. oxyacanthoides, R. pinetorum, R. quercetorum, R. roezlii, R. rotundifolium, R. rubrum, R. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, R. uva-crispa, R. viburnifolium, R. victoris, R. viscosissimum, R. watsonianum, R. wolfii
Synonyms Grossularia amara, R. amarum var. hoffmannii Grossularia velutina, R. gooddingii, R. velutinum var. glanduliferum, R. velutinum var. gooddingii
Name authority McClatchie: Erythea 2: 79. 1894 , Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 83. 1885 ,
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