Ribes acerifolium

Plants 0.5–1 m. Stems spreading to erect, finely puberulent, often thickly sprinkled with small, nearly sessile to rather strongly stipitate-glands; spines at nodes absent; prickles on internodes absent. Leaves: petiole 2–5.5 cm, pubescent, stipitate-glandular; blade orbiculate, lobed into 3 main and 2 smaller segments, cleft 1/2 to midrib, 3–8 cm, base deeply cordate, surfaces puberulent and stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lobes ovate-deltate, margins 2 times crenate-serrate, apex acute. Inflorescences pendent, 7–15-flowered racemes, 3–5 cm, axis crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular, flowers evenly spaced. Pedicels jointed, 2–8 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular; bracts lanceolate, 6–8 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular. Flowers: hypanthium greenish white with pinkish tinge, shallowly bowl-shaped, 1–1.5 mm, crisped-puberulent, stipitate-glandular; sepals nearly overlapping, spreading, tips usually recurved, pinkish or white streaked with pink, broadly oblong-ovate to nearly deltate-obovate, 2–3 mm; petals very slightly connate or distinct, spreading with sepals, rose-red, obovate-cuneate, (inwardly pouched and nearly keeled in center), 1–1.5 mm; nectary disc greenish or cream, raised, angled, covering ovary; stamens nearly as long as petals; filaments oblong, 1 mm, glabrous; anthers cream, oval, 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acute; ovary finely crisped-puberulent; styles connate 3/4 their lengths, 0.7–1 mm, glabrous. Berries palatability not known, gray-black, spheric, to 10 mm, slightly pubescent, sparsely glandular.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Montane to alpine stream banks, meadow thickets, open ridges
Elevation: 900-2200 m

B.C., Idaho, Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Ribes acerifolium K. Koch (1869), which was believed to block the use of R. acerifolium Howell, was not validly published. Consequently, the name R. howellii Greene, proposed as a substitute name, is superfluous; it appears in many floras and on many herbarium specimens.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa