90 



American Midland Naturalist Monograph No. 4 



the joints; herbage with a strong odor; leaves roundish, heart-shaped, more or 



less sticky-hairy, green above, paler below, about I/2 to I1/2 inches across, 



divided into 3 broad teeth; flowers saucer-shaped, yellow, dotted with red, 



borne in loose, erect clusters in the upper leaf-axils; berries red, covered with 



gland-tipped hairs; common around Crater Lake, Oregon, and restricted to 



that region. 



Occurrence. — crater lake, abundant in the hemlock forests up to 7,000 feet: Pole 

 Bridge Creek; slop)es above Castle Crest. 



8. Golden Currant (Ribes aureum Pursh) .—Smooth shrub 3 to 9 

 feet high; leaves smooth and pale, small, ^ to I1/4 inches wide, with 3 broad, 

 more or less rounded lobes, sometimes with few-toothed margins; flowers 

 golden-yellow, tubular, spicy- fragrant, 1/2 to 1 inch long, few in loose clusters 



about 1 inch long; berries yellow, reddish or black, 

 smooth or slightly glandular-hairy, about 1/2 inch in 

 diameter, juicy and well-flavored; occurs commonly 

 along water courses at low and middle altitudes. The 

 species is quite attractive and is sometimes grown 

 as an ornamental. l'* (Syn. Ribes longiflorum Nutt., 

 as to Rocky Mountain parks and west.) 



Occurrence. — grand TETON. rocky mountain, rare: 

 near Estes Park. MESA VERDE: lower Soda Canyon, 6,000 

 feet. 3RYCE. ZION. 



9. Wax Currant, Squaw Currant (Ribes 

 cereum Dougl.), fig. 34. — Rigid, very intricately- 

 branched shrub, 1 to 6 feet high, with musky, frag- 

 rant herbage; leaves dull green in color, more or 

 less roundish, I/2 to 1^4 inches across, scarcely 3- to 

 5-lobed, the margins rather finely toothed; flowers 

 greenish-white or pinkish, ^2 to % inch long, the 

 long, slender tubes finely hairy, the lobes 1/6 to I/4 

 as long as the tube; flower clusters short, about 1 

 inch long, few-flowered; berries bright red, smooth, 

 glandular-dotted or with fine gland-tipped hairs, 

 edible, but rather insipid or even nauseating. This 

 is one of the most widely distributed of western 

 currants. It occurs commonly on dry slopes and ridges, frequently in asso- 

 ciation with such shrubs as big sagebrush, bitterbrush, choke cherries, service 

 berries, and rabbitbrushes. Deer and elk utilize the twigs of this species to 

 some extent, particularly during the winter. The small bright-red berries 

 were sometimes gathered by the Indians, but are not of good-flavor. They 

 are extensively eaten by birds and rodents, however. (Syn. Ribes inebrians 



LindL). 



Occurrence. — CRATER LAKE, abundant, 5,400 to 7,200 feet: spring between Pole 

 Bridge and lower campgrounds; near south entrance; Kerr Notch; Mount Scott. LAs- 



Fig. 34. Wax currant 

 {Ribes cereum). 



19 Range Plant Handbook, B 130: United States Department of Agriculture, For- 

 est Service. 1937. 



