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blood currant, flowering currant, red currant, red-flowering currant, redflower currant, winter currant

maple-leaf blackcurrant, maple-leaf currant

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Plants 0.5–1 m.
Stems

erect, finely pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

spines at nodes absent;

prickles on internodes absent.

spreading to erect, finely puberulent, often thickly sprinkled with small, nearly sessile to rather strongly stipitate glands;

spines at nodes absent;

prickles on internodes absent.

Leaves

petiole 2–7 cm, puberulent, short stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly reniform or cordate-orbiculate to deltate-ovate, nearly equally to irregularly 5-lobed, cleft nearly 1/4 to midrib, 2–7 cm, base subtruncate to cordate, surfaces puberulent to whitish-tomentose abaxially, puberulent adaxially or puberulent and colorless, sessile-glandular on both surfaces, lobes deltate to obtuse, margins finely 2–3 times crenate and denticulate or serrate, apex broadly acute.

petiole 2–5.5 cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

blade orbiculate, lobed into 3 main and 2 smaller segments, cleft 1/2 to midrib, 3–8 cm, base deeply cordate, surfaces puberulent and stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lobes ovate-deltate, margins 2 times crenate-serrate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

pendent to stiffly spreading or ascending or erect, 5–40-flowered racemes, 5–15 cm, axis crisped-pubescent and stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced.

pendent, 7–15-flowered racemes, 3–5 cm, axis crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

jointed, 5–10 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

bracts oblanceolate or lanceolate, 2–12 mm, with scattered, short hairs and stalked glands.

jointed, 2–8 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular;

bracts lanceolate, 6–8 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular.

Flowers

hypanthium white, pink, rose, or red, tubular to campanulate, 3–7 mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

sepals not overlapping, spreading or reflexed, white, pink, or red, ovate-elliptic or oblong to oblanceolate or lanceolate, 4–5 mm;

petals not or nearly connivent to connivent, erect, white or pink to red, obovate-spatulate to oblong or almost square, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1–3.5 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens shorter than to as long as petals;

filaments linear or slightly expanded at base, 1.2–2 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oblong-oval, 0.5–0.8 mm, apex shallowly notched;

ovary stipitate-glandular to strongly stipitate-glandular and crisped-puberulent;

styles connate nearly to stigmas, 4–6 mm, glabrous or with scattered, stipitate glands at base.

hypanthium greenish white with pinkish tinge, shallowly bowl-shaped, 1–1.5 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular;

sepals nearly overlapping, spreading, tips usually recurved, pinkish or white streaked with pink, broadly oblong-ovate to nearly deltate-obovate, 2–3 mm;

petals very slightly connate or distinct, spreading with sepals, rose-red, obovate-cuneate, (inwardly pouched and nearly keeled in center), 1–1.5 mm;

nectary disc greenish or cream, raised, angled, covering ovary;

stamens nearly as long as petals;

filaments oblong, 1 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oval, 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acute;

ovary finely crisped-puberulent;

styles connate 3/4 their lengths, 0.7–1 mm, glabrous.

Berries

palatable but insipid, blue-black, glaucous, ovoid or globose, 3–9(–10) mm, yellowish or greenish stipitate-glandular.

palatability not known, gray-black, spheric, to 10 mm, slightly pubescent, sparsely glandular.

2n

= 16.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes acerifolium

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Montane to alpine stream banks, meadow thickets, open ridges
Elevation 900-2200 m [3000-7200 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Ribes sanguineum is widely cultivated. It begins to bloom very early in the season, providing a nectar source for pollinators when little else is available.

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

Ribes acerifolium K. Koch (1869), which was believed to block the use of R. acerifolium Howell, was not validly published. Consequently, the name R. howellii Greene, proposed as a substitute name, is superfluous; it appears in many floras and on many herbarium specimens.

(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. 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. 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. 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. 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. sanguineum var. glutinosum, R. sanguineum var. sanguineum
Key
1. Racemes 5-15(-20)-flowered, erect to stiffly spreading or ascending; sepals red.
var. sanguineum
1. Racemes 15-40-flowered, pendent; sepals pink to white.
var. glutinosum
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 , Howell: Erythea 3: 34. 1895 ,
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 21. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin. FNA vol. 8, p. 25. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin.
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