Ribes divaricatum

Douglas

Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 515. 1830 ,.

Common names: Straggly gooseberry
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Grossularia divaricata (Douglas) Coville & Britton
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 38. Mentioned on page 13.

Plants 1–3 m. Stems erect to spreading, ± pubescent throughout; spines at nodes absent or 1–3, 5–20 mm; prickles on internodes absent or sparse. Leaves: petiole 1–3 cm, pilose with glandular and eglandular hairs, some plumose hairs at base; blade roundish to nearly reniform, 3- (or 5-)lobed, cleft 1/2 to midrib, proximal segments again shallowly cleft into 2 unequal lobes, 2–3.5 cm, base rounded to cordate, surfaces pubescent abaxially, subglabrous or finely pubescent adaxially, lobes cuneate, margins prominently crenate-serrate, apex rounded. Inflorescences pendent, solitary flowers or 2–4-flowered racemes, 2–4 cm, axis glabrous or pilose, flowers evenly spaced. Pedicels not jointed, 3–12 mm, glabrous or pilose; bracts oval, 1–2 mm, glabrous or ciliate with stiff hairs and glands. Flowers: hypanthium greenish or purplish, obconic, 1.5–3.5 mm, glabrous or copiously pubescent; sepals not overlapping, spreading-reflexed, red or reddish or purplish green, narrowly oblong-deltate, 3.4–6 mm; petals distally nearly connivent to overlapping, erect, white or pink to red, cuneate-lunate to obovate, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 1.2–3 mm; nectary disc not prominent; stamens 2.5–3.5 times as long as petals; filaments linear, 3.5–7 mm, glabrous; anthers cream, oval, 1 mm, apex rounded; ovary glabrous; styles connate ca. 1/2 their lengths, 5–11 mm, copiously pilose-villous in proximal 3/4. Berries palatable, purplish black, subglobose, 6–12 mm, glabrous. 2n = 16.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Hybrids between Ribes divaricatum and R. niveum and R. divaricatum and R. lobbii have been propagated for the horticultural trade.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Petals 1.2-1.7 mm, white; styles 5-7 mm; fila- ments 3.5-4.7(-5) mm. Ribes divaricatum var. pubiflorum
1 Petals 2-3 mm, white or pink to red; styles 8-11 mm; filaments 4.5-7 mm > 2
2 Petals white; hypanthia 1.7-2.5 mm. Ribes divaricatum var. divaricatum
2 Petals pink to red; hypanthia 2.8-3.5 mm. Ribes divaricatum var. parishii