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blue currant, California black currant, stink currant

cultivated black currant, European black currant, gadellier noir, garden black currant

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Stems erect, with dense, yellowish, shiny, sessile, crystalline, round glands, sparsely pubescent throughout; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, glandular and puberulent or nearly glabrous; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole 2–10 cm, sparsely pubescent;

blade ovate, deeply 5–7-lobed, cleft 1/2+ to midrib, (1.5–)2–10(–22) cm, base cordate, surfaces with yellow, dull, sessile glands and sparse hairs abaxially, with yellow, shiny, sessile glands and glabrous adaxially, lobes with main segments ovate-lanceolate, margins 1–2 times sharply serrate, apex acute, shallowly lobed.

petiole 1–4 cm, pubescent, sometimes with longer setose hairs basally;

blade reniform, 3–5-lobed, cleft nearly to midrib, 5–10 cm, base cordate, surfaces with shiny, resinous glands, lobes broadly ovate, margins irregularly serrate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

ascending to erect, 20–50-flowered racemes, (10–)15–30 cm, axis sparsely pubescent, flowers evenly spaced.

pendent, 4–10-flowered racemes, 3–5 cm, axis pubescent, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

jointed, 5–12 mm, pubescent and glandular;

bracts conspicuous, proximal ones ovate, lobed, distal ones narrowly oblong, unlobed, (3–)4–5 mm, sparsely glandular and pubescent.

jointed, 2–10 mm, glabrous or finely pubescent to lanate;

bracts ovate, 0.5–2 mm, pubescent.

Flowers

hypanthium green, saucer-shaped, widely flared, 0.5–1.5 mm, ± pubescent and sparsely glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals nearly to somewhat overlapping, spreading, brownish purple to greenish or sometimes nearly white, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 3–5 mm;

petals widely separated, erect, white, cuneate-flabelliform, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1 mm;

nectary disc wine red, thick, lobed, covering and submerging ovary;

stamens slightly longer than petals;

filaments linear to slightly broader at base, 1 mm, glabrous;

anthers white, transversely oblong-cordate, 0.5 mm, broader than long, apex shallowly notched;

ovary somewhat hairy and densely sessile-glandular;

styles connate 1/4–1/2 their lengths, 1 mm, glabrous or hairy.

hypanthium green, cup-shaped or short-campanulate, 3–4 mm, densely pubescent or tomentose;

sepals not overlapping, reflexed, greenish or pinkish abaxially, suffused with purple adaxially, oblong, 5–7 mm;

petals nearly connivent, erect, white to reddish, bluntly deltate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1.5–3 mm;

nectary disc prominent, green or purplish, circular, covering ovary;

stamens slightly longer than petals;

filaments linear, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous with some glands;

anthers white, sagittate, 1 mm, apex blunt;

ovary pubescent, sessile-glandular;

styles connate nearly to stigmas, 3 mm, very finely hairy.

Berries

bland, black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, glandular.

sweet-tasting, black, globose, 12–15 mm, glabrous with some sessile glands.

2n

= 16.

Ribes bracteosum

Ribes nigrum

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Stream banks, moist woods, floodplains, shorelines, thickets, avalanche tracks Wet meadows, disturbed streamsides, anthropogenic habitats
Elevation 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft) 100-300 m (300-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IL; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; VT; WI; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ribes bracteosum occurs along the Pacific Coast from southeastern Alaska to northern California. Its thin leaves have a sweetish, disagreeable odor and the conspicuous bracts bear acicular, mostly persistent processes near the base along the slightly winged, stipular margins.

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

Ribes nigrum is the source of the cultivated black currant. It has a strong, unpleasant odor.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 18. FNA vol. 8, p. 18.
Parent taxa Grossulariaceae > Ribes Grossulariaceae > Ribes
Sibling taxa
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, 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. 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
Name authority Douglas: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 233. 1832 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 201. 1753 ,
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