Ribes cereum

Douglas

Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 512. 1830,.

IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 22. Mentioned on page 11, 24, 25.

Plants 0.2–2 m. Stems spreading or arching to erect, puberulent, sparsely to copiously stipitate-glandular; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Leaves: petiole (0.3–) 0.6–1.2(–2.8) cm, glabrous or finely to copiously pubescent; blade almost reniform to broadly cuneate-flabellate, 3–5(–7)-lobed, shallowly cleft, (0.5–) 1–2(–4) cm, base cordate to truncate, surfaces glabrous or copiously pubescent, sparsely stipitate-glandular to downy to conspicuously stipitate-glandular and sessile-glandular, particularly noticeable on margins, lobes rounded, margins coarsely crenate-dentate, apex obtuse. Inflorescences pendent, solitary flowers or 2–8(–9)-flowered racemes, 1–3 cm, axis finely pubescent, ± sticky with short-stalked to subsessile glands, flowers tightly clustered at end of peduncle. Pedicels jointed, (0.4–)1–2.2(–3.4) mm, puberulent; bracts flabellate or ovate to obovate, 3–7(–8.8) mm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular. Flowers: hypanthium white to greenish white with pink tinge, or pinkish white, narrowly tubular, tube widest at base and near throat, 5–9(–9.4) mm, densely hairy and scattered stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially; sepals not overlapping, spreading-recurved, greenish white to white or faintly to strongly pinkish tinged, deltate-ovate, 1–3.2 mm; petals connivent, erect, white to pink, orbiculate or flabellate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1–2.1 mm; nectary disc not prominent; stamens shorter than petals, (inserted below petals and completely included in hypanthium tube); filaments linear, 0.5–1.6 mm, glabrous; anthers pale cream-yellow to yellow, oval, 0.6–1.2 mm, apex with small, cup-shaped gland; ovary glabrous or hairy or sparsely to densely pubescent; styles connate nearly to stigmas, 7.5–11.5 mm, proximally hairy or glabrous. Berries tasteless, dull to bright red or orange-red, ovoid, 5–12 mm, sparsely glandular to glandular. 2n = 16.

Distribution

V8 31-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., N.Dak., N.Mex., Nebr., Nev., Okla., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Ribes cereum has a notably spicy odor. The bright green style, which becomes brown with age, is striking.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Bracts truncate to broadly rounded apically; sepals pubescent and stipitate-glandular. Ribes cereum var. cereum
1 Bracts acute apically; sepals glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent, not stipitate-glandular. Ribes cereum var. colubrinum