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

Photo is of parent taxon

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

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Stems erect, finely pubescent, stipitate-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.

blades moderately thick, base subtruncate, surfaces whitish-tomentose abaxially, puberulent adaxially.

Racemes

erect to stiffly spreading or ascending, 5–15(–20)-flowered, 5–7 cm.

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.

Pedicels

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

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

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, pink, or red, tubular, 3–6 mm;

sepals spreading, red, ovate-elliptic to oblong or oblanceolate;

petals not or nearly connivent, white to red, obovate-spatulate;

stamens shorter than petals;

ovary crisped-puberulent, strongly stipitate-glandular;

styles glabrous or with scattered, stipitate glands at base.

Berries

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

globose, 7–9 mm, stipitate-glandular.

2n

= 16.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes sanguineum var. sanguineum

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jul.
Habitat Open forests, rocky slopes, clearings, roadsides, wooded valleys and mountains
Elevation 1300-2400 m (4300-7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[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.)

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. 21.
Parent taxa Grossulariaceae > Ribes Grossulariaceae > Ribes > Ribes sanguineum
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. sanguineum var. glutinosum
Subordinate taxa
R. sanguineum var. glutinosum, R. sanguineum var. sanguineum
Synonyms R. sanguineum var. deductum, R. sanguineum var. melanocarpum
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 , unknown
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