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canyon gooseberry, coast prickly gooseberry, gooseberry

Hudson bay, Hudson bay currant, northern black currant, northern or western black, stinking currant, western black currant, wild

Habit Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, pubescent, glandular-bristly; spines at nodes mostly 3, 10–15(–20) mm; prickles on internodes dense. Plants 0.5–2 m. Stems erect or ascending (no short shoots), sparsely to densely glandular throughout with yellow, shiny, sessile, crystalline, round glands; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole 1–2.5 cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly ovate, 3–5-lobed, cleft less than 1/2 to midrib, 1.5–2.5 cm, base semitruncate or slightly cordate, surfaces abaxially pubescent and sessile- or stipitate-glandular, adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent, lobes cuneate-rounded, margins crenate-dentate, apex rounded.

petiole (1–)2.7–9.5 cm, glabrous or hairy, with scattered, yellow, sessile, round glands;

blade reniform to orbiculate, 3-lobed, 2 proximal segments less deeply and very unequally lobed (rarely equally 5-lobed), cleft usually less than 1/2 to midrib, 2–12(–13.3) cm, base deeply cordate, surfaces with yellow, sessile, round glands abaxially, otherwise glabrous or copiously hairy abaxially, sparsely hairy adaxially, lobes broadly deltate, margins coarsely bicrenate-dentate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

pendent, solitary flowers or 2-flowered racemes, 2–4 cm, axis short-pubescent, glandular.

ascending to spreading, 20–50-flowered racemes, 3–17 cm, axis thinly villous, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

not jointed, 3–6 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

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

jointed, 0.6–8(–11) mm, short-villous, short stipitate-glandular;

bracts lanceolate to linear, 0.5–3 mm, pubescent.

Flowers

hypanthium crimson, conic, 2.5–3.5 mm (1/4–1/3 as long as sepals), white-pilose, with red, stalked glands and red bristles;

sepals not overlapping, reflexed, reddish purple or greenish purple, oblong-lanceolate, 7–11 mm;

petals connivent, erect, white or pinkish to yellow, broadly flabellate-cuneate, often with inrolled margins, 3–4 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens 1.5–1.8 times as long as petals;

filaments linear, 3–5 mm, glabrous;

anthers white or tan, lanceolate-sagittate, 2.5 mm, apex acute, mucronate;

ovary somewhat pubescent and strongly purplish glandular-bristly with longer glandless bristles among gland-tipped hairs;

styles connate to middle, 6–8 mm, glabrous.

hypanthium white or green, saucer-shaped, widely flared, 0.6–1.5 mm, with sparse to dense, yellow, sessile glands and densely crisped-pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, widely spreading, white, triangular to ovate-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 3.4–7 mm;

petals widely separated, erect to spreading, white or pinkish, oblong, becoming cuneate-flabelliform and obscurely 3-lobed distally, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 0.9–2 mm;

nectary disc pale green, thin, partially covering ovary;

stamens as long as petals;

filaments linear, 1–1.1 mm, glabrous;

anthers maroon, sometimes cream, oval, 0.4–1 mm, apex with small-holed callus, sessile- or stipitate-glandular;

ovary sessile-glandular, stipitate-glandular, or sparsely hairy, rarely glabrous;

styles connate 1/2+ their lengths, 2 mm, glabrous.

Berries

not palatable, reddish purple, ellipsoid-globose, 10–13 mm, pubescent, glandular-bristly.

bitter, not palatable, black, ± glaucous, subglobose, 5.5–12 mm, glabrous except for yellow, sessile glands.

Ribes menziesii

Ribes hudsonianum

Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Ravines, wooded canyon slopes Stream banks, moist woods, thickets at edges of mountain meadows, treed bogs, swamps, shaded rock outcrops, deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests on moist to wet organic and mineral soils
Elevation 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) 300-3300 m (1000-10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; IA; ID; MI; MN; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties of Ribes menziesii that have been recognized in the past include: var. hystrix, which occurs in the inner South Coast Ranges, is not particularly aromatic, has leaves glandular abaxially, filament lengths equal to the petals, and berries with glandular and nonglandular hairs; var. ixoderme, which occurs in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is aromatic, has leaves glandular abaxially, filament lengths longer than petals, and berries with glandular and nonglandular hairs; var. leptosmum, which occurs in the outer North Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay area, is not particularly fragrant, has filament lengths longer than petals, and berries densely covered with gland-tipped bristles and without nonglandular hairs; var. senile, which occurs in the southwestern part of the San Francisco Bay area, is not particularly fragrant, has leaves with relatively few glands abaxially, filament lengths 1.5 times the petals, and berries with dense, soft, white hairs and gland-tipped bristles. M. R. Mesler and J. O. Sawyer Jr. (1993) concluded that the differences are not sufficient for recognizing these taxa.

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

Plants of Ribes hudsonianum with leaf blades that are pubescent abaxially and mostly lack sessile glands, and have ovaries with sessile glands, have been recognized as var. hudsonianum; those with leaf blades that are shaggy-hairy abaxially and sessile-glandular, and have ovaries lacking such glands, have been named var. petiolare. Variety hudsonianum has a more northern distribution; var. petiolare is western. Where their ranges overlap, for instance in Saskatoon, pubescence density varies continuously and does not correlate with presence or absence of glands (V. L. Harms, pers. comm.).

Ribes hudsonianum is a major host of blister rust; in early literature it is referred to as R. petiolare (E. P. Van Arsdel and B. W. Geils 2004). It has a strong, sweetish, unpleasant odor, and bears its leaves on long shoots.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 32. FNA vol. 8, p. 17.
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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Grossularia hystrix, Grossularia leptosma, Grossularia menziesii, Grossularia senilis, R. menziesii var. hystrix, R. menziesii var. ixoderme, R. menziesii var. leptosmum, R. menziesii var. senile R. hudsonianum var. petiolare, R. petiolare
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 732. 1813 , Richardson: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea ed. 2, 734. 1823 ,
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