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Hall's sticky currant, mountain currant, sticky currant

buffalo currant, clove currant, gadellier doré, golden currant, Missouri currant

Habit Plants 1–2 m. Stems erect to spreading, soft-pubescent, ± thickly stipitate-glandular, becoming glabrate; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Plants 1–3 m. Stems erect, glabrous or finely puberulent or villous, glabrescent; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent.
Leaves

petiole (0.8–)1–5(–10) cm, pubescent, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular;

blade suborbiculate to reniform, 3- or 5-lobed, cleft 1/4–1/3 to midrib, (1–)2.6–6.5(–8.5) cm, base deeply cordate, surfaces sparsely stipitate-glandular (otherwise nearly glabrous) to downy along veins, copiously soft-pubescent and glandular, lobes rounded, margins irregularly 1 or 2 times coarsely crenate-dentate, apex rounded to broadly acute.

petiole (0.4–)1–3(–4.8) cm, margins of young leaves often with slender extensions like multicelled hairs, surfaces finely pubescent, glabrescent;

blade broadly deltate-ovate to obovate, 3(–5)-lobed, cleft less than to slightly more than 1/2 to midrib (sometimes proximal leaves again shallowly lobed), (1–)1.6–3.6(–5.7) cm, base broadly cuneate to somewhat cordate, surfaces sometimes with colorless or yellowish, nearly sessile glands, finely pubescent or glabrous, glabrescent, lobes oblong-rounded, margins entire or with 2–5 rounded teeth, apex acute to obtuse.

Inflorescences

erect to somewhat pendent, (3–)6–17-flowered racemes, 3–10 cm (shorter than leaves), axis copiously pubescent and stipitate-glandular, flowers clustered at end of peduncle.

ascending to reflexed, 5–18-flowered racemes, 3–7 cm, axis glabrous, finely pubescent, or densely villous, flowers evenly spaced.

Pedicels

jointed, (2.7–)3.5–10(–12) mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular;

bracts lanceolate to oblanceolate, (5–)6–8.5(–12) mm, stipitate-glandular.

jointed, 2–8 mm, glabrous or densely villous;

bracts broadly deltate to obovate (similar to leaves), 4–9 mm, glabrous or densely villous.

Flowers

hypanthium greenish, greenish yellow, or yellowish white, sometimes strongly pinkish or purplish tinged, campanulate to tubular-campanulate, (4.5–)7–8 mm, sparsely to densely hairy and stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

sepals not overlapping, spreading at anthesis, becoming erect, whitish green, sometimes tinged with pink or purple, lanceolate-elliptic, (3.5–)4–7 mm;

petals connivent, erect, white or cream, obovate-spatulate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 2.5–4 mm;

nectary disc not prominent;

stamens nearly as long as petals;

filaments broadened at base, 1.2–3 mm, glabrous;

anthers cream, oblong-oval, 1–1.8 mm, apex with cup-shaped gland;

ovary glabrous or minutely hairy and strongly stipitate-glandular;

styles connate nearly to stigmas, 6–9.5 mm, glabrous.

hypanthium yellow to yellowish green, narrowly tubular, 6–20 mm, glabrous;

sepals not overlapping, spreading, usually not reflexed, golden yellow, oblong-elliptic, 3–8 mm;

petals connivent, erect, yellow to orange or deep red, oblong-obovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 2–3(–4) mm;

nectary disc not conspicuous;

stamens nearly as long as petals;

filaments slightly expanded at base, 0.9–1.5(–2.2) mm, glabrous;

anthers white, oblong, 1.1–2 mm, apex minutely apiculate;

ovary glabrous;

styles connate almost to stigmas, (8.5–)9.8–12.5 mm, glabrous.

Berries

palatable, dark bluish black, ovoid, (8–)10–15 mm, glabrous or ± hairy and stipitate-glandular.

palatable, usually red, orange, brown, or black, rarely yellow, globose, 5.2–10 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 16.

Ribes viscosissimum

Ribes aureum

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Along creeks, open to heavily timbered slopes, sagebrush
Elevation 900-3100 m (3000-10200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

All parts of Ribes viscosissimum are very fragrant. Its leaves are thick and rough. Plants with glabrous or sparsely stipitate-glandular ovaries have been recognized as var. hallii and are found only in California and Oregon. Plants with strongly stipitate-glandular and softly pubescent ovaries are var. viscosissimum and are more widespread. W. C. Martin and C. R. Hutchins (1980) indicated that R. viscosissimum is to be expected in New Mexico; no occurrence there has been confirmed.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Ribes aureum was introduced into cultivation in Europe early in the nineteenth century (F. V. Coville 1903). It is a major host of pinyon blister rust in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, and of pinyon leaf rust in New Mexico (E. P. Van Arsdel and B. W. Geils 2004). Ribes aureum is a variable complex and the varieties may seem to intergrade. In California, var. aureum occurs in sagebrush scrub or coniferous forests at higher elevations (800–2600 m) than var. gracillimum; the sepals of var. aureum are longer than those of var. gracillimum (5–8 mm versus 3–4 mm), and its hypanthium is noticeably shorter relative to the sepals. Leaves of var. aureum are more highly lobed and are sparsely glandular in the Pacific Northwest and less lobed and more densely glandular in the southwest (H. D. Hammond, pers. comm.). In most of its range, var. villosum is so conspicuously villous as to be unmistakable; in the west some plants with strikingly long hypanthia are scarcely villous.

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

Key
1. Hypanthium lengths 1.5-2 times sepals.
var. aureum
1. Hypanthium lengths 2-3 times sepals
→ 2
2. Petals yellow, turning deep red; hypanthia 6-12 mm.
var. gracillimum
2. Petals yellow, turning orange; hypanthia 9-20 mm.
var. villosum
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 22. FNA vol. 8, p. 15.
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. sanguineum, R. sericeum, R. speciosum, R. thacherianum, R. triste, R. tularense, R. uva-crispa, R. velutinum, R. viburnifolium, R. victoris, R. watsonianum, R. wolfii
R. acerifolium, R. amarum, R. americanum, 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. aureum var. aureum, R. aureum var. gracillimum, R. aureum var. villosum
Synonyms R. viscosissimum var. hallii
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 163. 1813 , Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 164. 1813 ,
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