THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 265 



Siberia; in the region of Lake Baikal, Mongolia. First cultivated in 

 Petersburg Botanic Garden, raised from seeds collected by Przewalski. 

 Starts late in the spring. Cultivated at the Arnold Arboretum. 



(s) var. tomentosum. Maximowicz i?M/. ^c. Pd. 19:260. 1874; Janczewski Mwiogr. 

 Suppl. 3:721. 1913. 



Young shoots pale, pubescent, and glandular hairy. Leaves 5-lobed, lobes rather 

 long, pointed, base cordate, 9 cm long and 10 cm wide, slightly hairy above, pubescent 

 beneath with longer hairs along the veins; petiole 7 cm long, pubescent, and glandular 

 hairy. Racemes 7 cm long, with as many as 27 flowers; rhachis pubescent and with 

 scattered longer hairs; pedicels 1-2 mm long, hairy. Flowers subcampanulate, rather 

 pale, buds copper red, receptacle without humps below the reddish petals; stamens and 

 style reddish. Fruit pale red. 



Eastern Siberia, Amur River. 



All of the R. petraeum varieties have bell-shaped flowers without any 

 rim, the upper part of the ovary is projecting into the cup-shaped receptacle 

 or calyx-tube and forms a thick conical base of the style. The sepals and 

 petals are rather large. The berries are usually more acidulous than in 

 R. sativum. R. petraeum and its offspring are late in starting into grovrth 

 in spring. Several cultivated varieties are derived from this species, none 

 of which, however, are well known as of great commercial importance, 

 except in hybrids to be noted later. The most important of these is with 

 the northern red currant, R. rubrum, which probably originated in the 

 1 8th century. This hybrid is known as R. pallidum, Otto & Dietrich Allgem. 

 Gartenztg. 268. 1842 (or R. ciliatum Kit. in Kanitz Linnaea 480. 1863, 

 or R. Kitaibelii Dorfler Herb. Norm. No. 4264. 1902). 



Though intermediate in most respects, this hybrid most nearly 

 resembles R. petraeum. It is a robust shrub, starting late into vegetation 

 and flower. The leaves are rather large, 3- to 5-lobed with a subcordate or 

 truncate base and with the pubescence of R. rubrum, the lobes on leaves 

 of young shoots however a little more acute than in R. rubrum. The 

 racemes are longer and not quite as dense, though much the same as in 

 R. petraeum, they have up to 25 flowers, more than either parent. The 

 single flowers come near to those of R. petraeum, but agree with those of 

 R. rubrum in having no round humps below the insertion of the petals. 

 To this hybrid belongs the cultivated variety Prince Albert (syn. Hol- 

 landische Korallenbeere, Rouge de HoUande, etc.). 



The hybrid between R. petraeum caucasicum and R. rubrum {R. holo- 

 sericeum. Otto & Dietrich Allgem. Gartenztg. 266. 1842) has smaller flowers 

 than the last, more like those of R. rubrum, and smaller leaves with stronger 



