Ribes viscosissimum

Sticky currant
A sticky currant growing in Wenatchee National Forest
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species: R. viscosissimum
Binomial name
Ribes viscosissimum
Pursh [1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Ribes hallii Jancz.

Ribes viscosissimum is a North American species of currant known by the common name sticky currant. It is native to western Canada and the western United States from British Columbia and Alberta south as far as California, Arizona, and Colorado.[3][4][5]

Ribes viscosissimum grows in mountain forests, streambanks, and plateau sagebrush. It is a spreading to erect shrub growing one to two meters (40-80 inches) in height, its stem coated in sticky glandular hairs but lacking spines and bristles. It is resinous and fragrant. The highly glandular leaves have thick, rough blades divided into 3 rounded, toothed lobes, the lobes about the same size rather than having the middle lobe larger than the others as in some related species. The blades may be 8 centimeters (3.2 inches) long, borne on petioles up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) in length. The inflorescence is an erect or drooping raceme of several flowers clustered together. Each flower has a bell-shaped coat of five whitish, greenish, or pink-tinged sepals which spread at the tips into a corolla-like array, sometimes becoming reflexed. Inside are whitish petals surrounding the stamens and stigmas. The fruit is a blue-black berry a centimeter (0.4 inch) long or longer.[6][7] It is said to cause violent vomiting shortly after ingestion. [8]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ribes viscosissimum.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.