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squaw currant, stink currant, wax currant, white currant

bitter gooseberry

Habit Plants 0.2–2 m. Stems spreading or arching to erect, puberulent, sparsely to copiously stipitate-glandular; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, villous, stipitate-glandular, glabrescent; spines at nodes 3, 5–10 mm; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole (0.3–) 0.6–1.2(–2.8) cm, glabrous or finely to copiously pubescent;

blade almost reniform to broadly cuneate-flabellate, 3–5(–7)-lobed, shallowly cleft, (0.5–) 1–2(–4) cm, base cordate to truncate, surfaces glabrous or copiously pubescent, sparsely stipitate-glandular to downy to conspicuously stipitate-glandular and sessile-glandular, particularly noticeable on margins, lobes rounded, margins coarsely crenate-dentate, apex obtuse.

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.

Inflorescences

pendent, solitary flowers or 2–8(–9)-flowered racemes, 1–3 cm, axis finely pubescent, ± sticky with short-stalked to subsessile glands, flowers tightly clustered at end of peduncle.

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

Pedicels

jointed, (0.4–)1–2.2(–3.4) mm, puberulent;

bracts flabellate or ovate to obovate, 3–7(–8.8) mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular.

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

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

Flowers

hypanthium white to greenish white with pink tinge, or pinkish white, narrowly tubular, tube widest at base and near throat, 5–9(–9.4) mm, densely hairy and scattered stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, spreading-recurved, greenish white to white or faintly to strongly pinkish tinged, deltate-ovate, 1–3.2 mm;

petals connivent, erect, white to pink, orbiculate or flabellate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1–2.1 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens shorter than petals, (inserted below petals and completely included in hypanthium tube);

filaments linear, 0.5–1.6 mm, glabrous;

anthers pale cream-yellow to yellow, oval, 0.6–1.2 mm, apex with small, cup-shaped gland;

ovary glabrous or hairy or sparsely to densely pubescent;

styles connate nearly to stigmas, 7.5–11.5 mm, proximally hairy or glabrous.

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.

Berries

tasteless, dull to bright red or orange-red, ovoid, 5–12 mm, sparsely glandular to glandular.

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

2n

= 16.

Ribes cereum

Ribes amarum

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat Chaparral, montane coniferous forest
Elevation 0-2100 m (0-6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OK; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Ribes cereum has a notably spicy odor. The bright green style, which becomes brown with age, is striking.

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

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.)

Key
1. Bracts truncate to broadly rounded apically; sepals pubescent and stipitate-glandular.
var. cereum
1. Bracts acute apically; sepals glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent, not stipitate-glandular.
var. colubrinum
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 22. FNA vol. 8, p. 30.
Parent taxa Grossulariaceae > Ribes Grossulariaceae > Ribes
Sibling taxa
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
R. cereum var. cereum, R. cereum var. colubrinum
Synonyms Grossularia amara, R. amarum var. hoffmannii
Name authority Douglas: Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 512. (1830) McClatchie: Erythea 2: 79. 1894 ,
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