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Canada gooseberry, Canadian gooseberry, northern gooseberry, northern smooth gooseberry, Umatilla gooseberry

bitter gooseberry

Habit Plants 0.3–2 m. Stems erect or spreading, strongly puberulent, pubescence often intermixed with glandular hairs, becoming glabrate; spines at nodes 1–3 (–7), 2.2–13 mm; prickles on internodes absent or sparse to dense. Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect, villous, stipitate-glandular, glabrescent; spines at nodes 3, 5–10 mm; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole (0.4–)1–4 cm, finely and softly pubescent, sparsely to densely pubescent, or pilose, and glandular-puberulent or glabrous, sometimes abaxially more glandular, or glabrous;

blade roundish to reniform, 3–5(–7)-lobed, cleft 1/2 to midrib, (0.7–)1.5–4 cm, base truncate to cordate, surfaces abaxially pilose to villous, sometimes glabrate or glabrous, stipitate- and sessile-glandular, lobes oblong, oblong-cuneate, or cuneate-rounded, margins irregularly crenate-dentate into prominent, unequal teeth, apex rounded to broadly acute.

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

spreading, solitary flowers or 2–3(–4)-flowered racemes, 2–3 cm, axis glabrous or stipitate-glandular and puberulent to pilose, flowers evenly spaced.

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

Pedicels

not jointed, 1–6 mm, glabrous or villous stipitate-glandular and puberulent to pilose;

bracts broadly ovate-deltate, 1–2 mm (much shorter than leaves), finely glandular-ciliate.

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

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

Flowers

hypanthium green or greenish white to white or pinkish, narrowly tubular or campanulate to rotate, 1.4–5.5(–6.6) mm, glabrous abaxially, villous-pubescent adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, spreading to somewhat reflexed, greenish white or greenish yellow, sometimes pinkish or purplish with slightly reddish tinge, broadly to narrowly oblong-ovate or elliptic-obovate, 1–6 mm;

petals connivent, becoming separated, erect, white or pinkish, oblong-oblanceolate or obovate to oblong-obovate, flabelliform-reniform, or obovate-rhombic, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1–3.5 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens as long as or only slightly longer than petals;

filaments slightly expanded at base, 0.5–3.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oblong-oval, 0.6–1.3 mm, apex rounded;

ovary glabrous;

styles connate 1/3–3/4 their lengths, 2.5–8(–9) mm, pilose in proximal 1/2.

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

palatable, reddish, greenish purple, or deep purplish black, globose, 7–16 mm, glabrous.

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

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Ribes amarum

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat Chaparral, montane coniferous forest
Elevation 0-2100 m (0-6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

(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. Styles 2.5-3.3 mm; hypanthia 1.4-3 mm; sepals 1-3.3 mm.
var. hendersonii
1. Styles 5.5-9 mm; hypanthia 1.5-6.6 mm; sepals 2.5-6 mm
→ 2
2. Sepals finely pilose.
var. cognatum
2. Sepals glabrous or with scattered hairs
→ 3
3. Peduncles 6-15 mm.
var. irriguum
3. Peduncles 2-6 mm
→ 4
4. Leaf blades densely pilose abaxially, base truncate or subcordate; sepal apices rounded.
var. oxyacanthoides
4. Leaf blades finely pubescent abaxially, base deeply cordate; sepal apices truncate.
var. setosum
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 39. 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. 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. 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. oxyacanthoides var. cognatum, R. oxyacanthoides var. hendersonii, R. oxyacanthoides var. irriguum, R. oxyacanthoides var. oxyacanthoides, R. oxyacanthoides var. setosum
Synonyms Grossularia amara, R. amarum var. hoffmannii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 201. 1753 , McClatchie: Erythea 2: 79. 1894 ,
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