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

coast trailing currant, trailing black currant, trailing black or spreading currant

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Stems erect, finely pubescent, stipitate-glandular; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 0.5–1 m (in shade sometimes semiscandent and to 7 m).
Stems

decumbent, vining, or spreading, finely crisped-puberulent, sparsely subsessile-glandular;

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 (1.5–)2.5–5.5(–8) cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

blade orbiculate, 5–7-lobed, cleft nearly 1/2 to midrib, (2.5–)4–12 cm, base deeply cordate, surfaces ± crisped-puberulent at least on veins, usually with some sessile, crystalline glands and more numerous, very short-stipitate, noncrystalline glands abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lobes ovate-triangular, margins shallowly to coarsely 2 times crenate-serrate, apex acute to obtuse.

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.

erect or ascending, 6–8-flowered racemes, (2–)3–6(–8) cm, axis 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, (2.2–)3.2–12 mm, pubescent, red stipitate-glandular;

bracts linear to lanceolate-subulate, 0.9–2.8(–3.6) mm, copiously crisped-puberulent, moderately reddish 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 to red or purple, shallowly bowl-shaped, 0.6–1 mm, pubescent and stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, spreading, tips usually slightly recurved, greenish white to deep red or purplish, deltate-ovate to oblong-ovate, 2.4–4 mm;

petals widely separated, erect, pinkish to reddish or purplish, greenish at apex, reniform or crescent-shaped, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 0.9–1.6 mm;

nectary disc prominent, cream, reddish, or brownish, flat, 5-lobed, covering ovary;

stamens nearly as long as to slightly longer than petals;

filaments linear, 1–1.7 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oval, 0.5–0.7 mm, apex blunt;

ovary finely puberulent, prominently reddish stipitate-glandular, (glandular hairs to 0.5 mm);

styles connate 1/3–2/3 their lengths, 1.4–1.8 mm, glabrous.

Berries

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

palatable, purplish black, ovoid, (4–)5–10(–14) mm, pubescent, reddish purple stipitate-glandular.

2n

= 16.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes laxiflorum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug.
Habitat Moist woods, stream banks, forest edges, clearings, avalanche tracks
Elevation 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; AB; BC; YT; Asia (Siberia)
[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 laxiflorum flowers have stamens with reddish filaments.

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

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
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 21. FNA vol. 8, p. 24.
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. 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. 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
Synonyms R. coloradense
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 , Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 731. 1813 ,
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