470 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



SMOOTH WILD GOOSEBERRY 



(One-half life size) 



Showing the fruiting spray and flower. This 



occurs in all sections of New England and 



New York in wet woods and low grounds. 



iiuich like the dogberry, 

 from which it dilifers 

 mainly in bearing fewer 

 spines on the stem and 

 none at all on the fruit, 

 and in having a smaller 

 leaf with a sharper, 

 wedge-shaped base. Av- 

 erage leaves are here re- 

 ferred to, for in each 

 species of the currant- 

 gooseberry family the 

 leaves vary considerably 

 in general outline and in 

 the shape of the teeth, 

 and are not very definite 

 marks of distinction un- 

 less a good many are 

 taken as the basis for an 

 average contour. 

 Along roadsides, and in thickets and open woods near 

 dwellings, there may sometimes be found garden goose- 

 berries thriving in the wild state. These are enough like 

 our native ones to be confused with them by the inexpert. 

 Nevertheless, no attempt will be made here to name the 

 points of distinction, 

 since any one familiar 

 with the native species 

 will recognize the garden 

 varieties, and that is, for 

 the present purpose. 

 sufficient. Aside from 

 the two species described 

 above, no native goose- 

 berries occur commonly in 

 western Massachusetts. 



The blister rust, how- 

 ever, takes as readily to 

 currants as to gooseber- 

 ries. The commonest of 

 these is the skunk or 

 fetid currant {Ribes 

 prostratum, L'Her. = R. 

 glandulosum, Grauer) , 

 so-called because of the 

 immistakable odor of its 

 stems, roots, and fruit. 

 It flourishes on cool, 

 moist, rocky hill-slopes 

 and mountain-sides. In 

 habit it is recumbent, 

 with spineless stems that 



flowers or berries are attached by short stems. It will be 

 noted in the illustrations that the fruits of the gooseberries 

 occur commonly in twos and not in clusters. The flowers 

 of the skunk currant are small, greenish, and bell-shaped ; 



This is very common in New York and 

 northern and western New England, chiefly 

 in rocky woods. 



PRICKLY WILD GOOSEBERRY 

 {One-half life size) 

 run alonsf tmder the showing the fruiting spray and flower. 



leaves, and send up fre- 

 quent shoots. Its leaves, 

 as in the case of all members of the Ribes genus, 

 are alternate and usually in bundles. They strongly 

 suggest the maple shape. The flowers and the fruits of 

 skunk currant, as of all currants, grow in racemes or 

 long clusters with a central stem to which the individual 



Eastern 



Wild 



Gooseberry 



Leaf 



the fruits are a pale red, and they are covered with soft 

 bristles. In winter, this plant is the one conspicuous 

 member of its genus, because of its handsome red buds. 

 Another common currant is the wild black currant, 

 Ribes amcricanuin, Mill 

 { = R. flondiiin. LTIer. ), 

 which closely resembles the 

 black currant of gardens. Its 

 leaves are distinctly maple- 

 like, with a large and elongated 

 central lobe ; and they are 

 dotted with resin spots. The 

 clusters of skunk currant are 

 comparatively erect ; those of 

 wild black currant are mark- 

 edly drooping. The flowers 



Swamp 

 Black 



Currant 

 Leaf 



are pale green, yellow, or 

 white, the fruits black and 

 smooth. This currant prefers 

 non-rocky sites and rich soils 

 near streams. 



In addition to the skunk and black currants, there 

 may be found in limited parts of the region under 

 consideration the swamp red and the swamp black cur- 

 rant (Ribes triste. Pall., and R. lacustre, Poir.). Both 

 grow in swamps, in the coldest and wettest woods, and 

 in sub-Alpine sites, high grounds which have in their 

 influence on plant life a likeness to cold and swampy 



lowlands. Both also are 

 northerly plants, and in 

 Massachusetts are not 

 far from their southern- 

 most extension. The 

 swamp red currant has 

 large and conspicuous 

 yellow-green flowers and 

 smooth red berries. The 

 stems are straggling or 

 reclined and from three 

 to five feet long. In all 

 respects this currant is 

 very like the garden red 

 currant. The swamp 

 black currant, Ribes 



Dog Currant 



or Prickly 



Gooseberry 



Leaf 



