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Ribes glandulosum Grauer

Modern name

Ribes glandulosum Grauer

Synonyms

R. prostratum L'Hérit.

A deciduous unarmed shrub with prostrate, rooting branches; young shoots glabrous. Leaves deeply five- to seven-lobed, 112 to 4 in. wide, the lobes doubly toothed, bright green and smooth on both sides, except for occasional hairs on the veins beneath; stalk bristly at the base. Flowers greenish, produced eight to twelve together on erect, slender racemes, 2 to 3 in. long, stalks and ovary with gland-tipped hairs; sepals glabrous outside. Fruits red, glandular, 14 in. in diameter.

Native of N. America, where it is widely spread over the cool moist regions on both east and west sides; introduced in 1812. It is distinct in its prostrate habit, nearly or quite glabrous, evil-smelling leaves, and red, glanded fruits. Nearly allied to this are:

R. laxiflorum Pursh R. affine Dougl., not Kunth – This is also a prostrate shrub, but with leaves more downy beneath when young, the fan-shaped petals as broad as they are long (in R. glandulosum they are much longer than broad), the sepals downy but not glandular outside, and the fruits black or dark purple, with glandular down and a glaucous bloom. Native of western N. America, whence it was introduced by Douglas in 1818.

R. coloradensis Cov. – This is a third species belonging to the same group, being of prostrate habit; the young shoots ate finely downy, the sepals with glandular hairs outside, the purplish petals twice as broad as long, the fruits black, not glaucous with bloom. Native of Colorado and New Mexico; introduced in 1905.

None of these three have much garden value, although their prostrate habit gives them interest.


Genus

Ribes

Other species in the genus