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bitter gooseberry

Rothrock currant, Winaha currant, Wolf's currant

Habit Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, villous, stipitate-glandular, glabrescent; spines at nodes 3, 5–10 mm; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 1–5 m. Stems spreading to erect, finely crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular and with black, sessile glands; spines at nodes absent; 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 (1–)1.7–4.5(–6) cm, finely crisped-puberulent, with colorless, stipitate and sessile glands, stipitate glands on margins of stipular expansion;

blade rectangular, 3–5-lobed, shallowly to deeply cleft, 2–6(–7.5) cm, base cordate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, ciliate, sometimes with dark, stipitate or sessile, minute glands, especially abaxially, lobes nearly triangular, margins dentate, apex acute to broadly obtuse.

Inflorescences

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

erect to spreading, (5–)7–25-flowered racemes, (3.5–)4.5–9.5(–12) cm, axis finely crisped-puberulent and stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

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

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

jointed, (0.5–)1.5–6(–8.3) mm, finely crisped-puberulent and stipitate-glandular;

bracts elliptic-lanceolate, (2.8–)3–5.2(–7) mm, puberulent-glandular.

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 greenish or pinkish, cup-shaped to turbinate, (0.8–)1.2–1.5(–2.1) mm, surfaces with scattered or dense, yellow or green, stipitate glands abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, spreading, greenish or pinkish, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, (2–)3.3–4.1 mm;

petals widely separated, erect, cream, yellowish green, or pinkish, obovate or flabellate-cuneate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 0.9–1.5 mm;

nectary disc not seen;

stamens slightly longer than petals;

filaments linear to slightly broader at base, 0.8–1.2 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oval, 0.5–0.6 mm, apex with dark, small depression;

ovary glandular-pubescent with green, yellow, or colorless, short-stipitate glands;

styles nearly distinct or connate to 1/2 their lengths, 1–2 mm, glabrous.

Berries

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

palatable, black, ovoid, 3–12 mm, glandular-pubescent.

Ribes amarum

Ribes wolfii

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Chaparral, montane coniferous forest Moist woods and meadows
Elevation 0-2100 m (0-6900 ft) 1600-3800 m (5200-12500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; NM; 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.)

Ribes mogollonicum is included here in R. wolfii because the two taxa, morphologically, seem to overlap completely. A. E. Senters and D. E. Soltis (2003) placed R. mogollonicum near R. viscosissimum and R. erythrocarpum.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 30. FNA vol. 8, p. 19.
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. velutinum, R. viburnifolium, R. victoris, R. viscosissimum, R. watsonianum
Synonyms Grossularia amara, R. amarum var. hoffmannii R. mogollonicum
Name authority McClatchie: Erythea 2: 79. 1894 , Rothrock: Amer. Naturalist 8: 358. 1874 ,
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