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

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

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Stems erect, finely pubescent, stipitate-glandular; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. 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.
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 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.

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

not jointed, 4–15 mm, glabrous;

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

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 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.

Berries

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

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

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes niveum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Thickets along streams, open hillsides
Elevation 400-2400 m (1300-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; NV; OR; WA
[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 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.)

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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
R. sanguineum var. glutinosum, R. sanguineum var. sanguineum
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 , Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 20: plate 1692. 1834 ,
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