. THE BOTANY OF THE BUSH FRUITS. 255 



The calyx tube is small and narrow, while the fruit is small, brownish 

 black, glandular, and insipid. The species is found on the Pacific 

 coast from British America southward throug-h California and also in 

 the mountains of Mexico and South America. Although possessing 

 no value as a fruit plant, it has been long known in cultivation and 

 very generally prized both in Europe and America, though ap})arently 

 not widely known. It is said to render the woods gay with its bloom 

 in its native haunts early in springtime, giving somewhat the effect of 

 a large bush covered with verbena flowers, though differently arranged. 

 Unfortunately it does not prove hardy in the northern Atlantic states, 

 being reported tender at Boston and Rochester, N. Y. 



The form known in cultivation as Ribes gordonianum is considered 

 to be a hybrid between Ribes sanguineum and Ribes aureum, being 

 intermediate between the two in general characters. It resembles 

 Ribes sanguineum in the character of its blossoms, though they are 

 lighter in color. It also seems to be considered somewhat hardier 

 than this species, being reported hardy at the Arnold Arboretum and 

 at Rochester, N. Y. 



Ribes americanum Mill. — Wild Black Currant. — This is a 

 stocky little bush, three to five feet high, with sharply three to five- 

 lobed leaves, which are resinous dotted on the under side. The flow- 

 ers are white or yellowish, in showy racemes, the bract at the base of 

 each flower being longer than the stem of the flower. Fruit black. 

 This is very similar to the European black currant, being distinguished 

 from it chiefly by the larger and more showy flowers, Avith longer 

 calyx tube, and by the longer bracts at the base of each flower. The 

 species is distributed from Canada, southward to Virginia and west- 

 ward to the Rocky mountains. 



This species is seldom if ever cultivated, yet it is quite possible that 

 if it were brought under amelioration it would soon surpass its Eu- 

 ropean relative, as has so. often hapj.ened in other cases. The fruit 

 possesses the same characteristic odor however, which, being distaste- 

 ful to so many people, has served to detract attention from it. In the 

 northwest the fruit is sometimes used, and since its disagreeable quali- 

 ties disappear with cooking it really has considerable value. The 

 plant has also some ornamental value, though seldom grown except 

 for botanical interest. 



