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squaw currant, stink currant, wax currant, white currant

Snake River gooseberry, snow currant, snow gooseberry, snowy gooseberry, white-flower gooseberry

Habit Plants 0.2–2 m. Plants 0.5–3 m.
Stems

spreading or arching to erect, puberulent, sparsely to copiously stipitate-glandular;

spines at nodes absent;

prickles on internodes absent.

erect to sprawling, (rooting at tips), glabrous;

spines at nodes 1–3(–6), (2–)5–15(–20) mm;

prickles on internodes absent or sometimes numerous.

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 0.5–4(–6) cm, glabrous or pubescent and stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly reniform to broadly ovate, 3–5-lobed, cleft 1/3–1/2 to midrib, 0.8–5 cm, base truncate to rounded-cuneate, surfaces finely pubescent or only between veins abaxially, lobes broad, rounded ternately, margins 1 or 2 times crenate-dentate, apex mucronate or apiculate.

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 2–4(–5)-flowered racemes, 4–6 cm, axis glabrous or pubescent, 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, 4–15 mm, glabrous;

bracts lanceolate, 1.2–3 mm, glabrous or finely ciliate.

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 white, pale greenish, greenish white, or cream, narrowly campanulate, 1.6–3 mm, glabrous, rarely very sparsely hirsute;

sepals not overlapping, sharply reflexed, white or very slightly pinkish, narrowly oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, 5–8 mm;

petals connivent, erect, white or very slightly pinkish with red veins, oblong to cuneate-obovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1.7–3.2 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens 2.5–3 times as long as petals;

filaments linear, 6.5–9(–10) mm, finely pilose;

anthers cream to greenish, ovate-oblong, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex rounded;

ovary glabrous;

styles connate 1/2+ their lengths, 8–14 mm, pilose on proximal 1/2–3/4.

Berries

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

palatable but sour, yellow-green, becoming blue-black to purple, globose, 5.5–12 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Ribes cereum

Ribes niveum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Thickets along streams, open hillsides
Elevation 400-2400 m [1300-7900 ft]
Distribution
map from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OK; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
CO; ID; NV; OR; WA
[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 niveum was thought to be extirpated in Colorado; it was rediscovered near Cañon City, Fremont County (T. W. Chumley and R. L. Hartman 2000). It is unusual in having anthers glabrate or finely pilose or arachnoid, closing and extended in fruit.

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

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. 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. 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
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
Name authority Douglas: Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 512. (1830) Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 20: plate 1692. 1834 ,
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 22. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin. FNA vol. 8, p. 37. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin.
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