The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

dogberry, eastern prickly gooseberry, groseillier des chiens, pasture currant

Habit Plants 0.5–3 m. Stems 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. Plants 0.5–1.5 m. Stems erect to spreading, glabrous or pubescent, glabrescent; spines at nodes absent or 1–3, 5–15 mm; prickles on internodes absent or sparse.
Leaves

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.

petiole 1–3 cm, pilose and stipitate-glandular;

blade pentangular, 3–5-lobed, cleft (1/3–)1/2–3/4 to midrib, 1.7–5 cm, base truncate to cordate, surfaces glabrate or pubescent abaxially, pilose and sometimes with stipitate-glandular hairs adaxially, lobes deltate or cuneate-deltate, margins with rounded teeth, apex rounded or broadly acute.

Inflorescences

pendent, solitary flowers or 2–4(–5)-flowered racemes, 4–6 cm, axis glabrous or pubescent, flowers evenly spaced.

spreading, solitary flowers or 2(–4)-flowered corymbs, 4–5 cm, axis pilose and stipitate-glandular.

Pedicels

not jointed, 4–15 mm, glabrous;

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

not jointed (sometimes with abcission layer at bract junction), 5–16 mm, glabrous or pilose and stipitate-glandular;

bracts lanceolate to ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm, hairy and glandular on margins.

Flowers

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.

hypanthium greenish white, campanulate, 1.8–4 mm, glabrous or scattered-hairy;

sepals not overlapping, erect to recurved, greenish, oblong, 1.5–4 mm;

petals widely separated, erect, white, obovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1–2.5 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens as long as or slightly longer than petals;

filaments linear, 1–2 mm, glabrous;

anthers greenish yellow, oval, 0.4–0.6 mm, apex rounded;

ovary setose with eglandular or gland-tipped bristles, sometimes sparsely villous;

styles connate to middle or 0.8 mm proximal to stigmas, 4.5–7 mm, villous on proximal 1/2 or glabrous.

Berries

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

palatable, greenish to pale red, globose, 7–15 mm, densely bristly or spiny.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Ribes niveum

Ribes cynosbati

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Thickets along streams, open hillsides Rich hardwoods and conifer-hardwoods, rocky slopes, boulderfields, heath balds
Elevation 400-2400 m (1300-7900 ft) 100-2100 m (300-6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 37. FNA vol. 8, p. 37.
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. 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
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, R. aureum, R. binominatum, R. bracteosum, R. californicum, R. canthariforme, R. cereum, R. curvatum, 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
Synonyms Grossularia cynosbati, R. cynosbati var. atrox, R. cynosbati var. glabratum
Name authority Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 20: plate 1692. 1834 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 202. 1753 ,
Web links