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

European gooseberry, groseillier épineux

Habit Plants 1–4 m. Plants 1–1.5 m.
Stems

erect, finely pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

spines at nodes absent;

prickles on internodes absent.

erect, pubescent;

spines at nodes 3, 5–10 mm;

prickles on internodes present, scattered.

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 1–2 cm, pubescent;

blade pentangular, 3–5-lobed, deeply cleft, 2–5 cm, base cordate to broad-cuneate, surfaces pubescent, lobes obtuse, margins crenulate-dentate, apex 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.

spreading, solitary flowers or 2–3-flowered racemes, 1–3 cm, axis glabrous or sparsely lanate 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.

not jointed, 2–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely lanate;

bracts ovate, 1–3 mm, sparsely lanate, sparsely 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, short-campanulate, 4–6 mm, pubescent;

sepals not overlapping, spreading, greenish abaxially, pink adaxially, strap-shaped, 5–7 mm;

petals not connivent, erect, white, ovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 2–3 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens 2 times longer than petals;

filaments linear, 4–6 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oblong-oval, 1–2 mm, apex rounded;

ovary sparsely hairy;

styles connate to tip, ca. 6 mm, villous in proximal 1/2.

Berries

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

very palatable, greenish, ovoid, 10–20 mm, softly bristled.

2n

= 16.

Ribes sanguineum

Ribes uva-crispa

Phenology Flowering Mar–Apr.
Habitat Thickets, fields, roadsides, other anthropogenic habitats
Elevation 0-2500 m [0-8200 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC [Introduced in c Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DE; IA; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; VT; WI; WV; NL; ON; QC; w Europe; c Europe (including Great Britain); n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in n Europe (including Ireland), Atlantic Islands (Iceland)]
[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.)

Culinary forms of gooseberry have been bred from Ribes uva-crispa.

(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. 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. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, 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
Synonyms R. grossularia
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 201. 1753 ,
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 21. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin. FNA vol. 8, p. 42. Treatment author: Nancy R. Morin.
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