RIBES 397 







garden, possess anything like the importance suggested by the number of 

 its species at present in cultivation. It is composed of two well-marked 

 groups : the gooseberries, sometimes regarded as a distinct genus called 

 GROSSULARIA ; and the currants, which may be termed the true RIBES. 

 These two groups are roughly distinguished by the former having spines 

 (often triple spines) at the joints, and articulated flower-stalks ; the latter 

 by having no spines at the joints, and flower-stalks not articulated. In 

 the following descriptions the words "armed" or "unarmed" will usually 

 indicate to which group each species belongs ; but there are species of an 

 intermediate character, such as Diacantha, lacustre, and inebrians, which 

 are spiny but belong in other respects to the currants. 



They are all shrubs, a few of them evergreen, with usually three- or 

 fiv'e-lobed, alternate leaves. Flowers occasionally highly coloured and 

 red or yellow, sometimes white, oftenest green or greenish. In the 

 gooseberries the flowers are usually few in the raceme or even solitary, 

 but in the currants they are always in racemes, usually numerous. The 

 fruit is a berry full of pulp in which the seeds are embedded, and is 

 always terminated by the shrivelled remains of the flower. 



The Ribes present no difficulty in cultivation; they like a loamy 

 soil of at least average quality, and the West N. American gooseberries 

 need as sunny a spot as possible. They are propagated by seed or by 

 cuttings. The latter will frequently form roots when made of leafless 

 shoots in November and placed in the open air as common gooseberries 

 are but they are more certain if placed under a handlight. A second 

 method, better adapted to the currants, is to make cuttings of leafy shoots 

 in July and August and place them in gentle bottom heat, but most of 

 them will strike root also in the open ground, of course much more slowly. 

 For cultivators desirous of growing only the most ornamental, the following 

 half a dozen may be recommended : alpinum, cruentum (or amictuni), 

 aureum, cereum, sanguineum (especially var. splendens], and speciosum. 



R. ALPINUM, Linnceus. ALPINE CURRANT. 



A deciduous, unarmed shrub, reaching in gardens 6 to 9 ft. in height and 

 as much or more in diameter, of dense, close habit ; young twigs shining, and 

 at first more or less glandular. Leaves broadly ovate or roundish, three- 

 sometimes five-lobed, the lobes coarsely toothed ; the base straight or heart- 

 shaped, with five radiating veins ; upper surface with scattered bristly hairs, 

 the lower one usually shining and more or less hairy on the veins ; -i to i| ins. 

 long and wide ; stalk glandular-downy, to in. long. Flowers unisexual, the 

 sexes nearly always on separate plants, produced in the axils of bracts 

 longer than the flower-stalk, greenish yellow ; the males on small, erect, 

 glandular racemes i to i| ins. long, the females fewer, and on racemes half 

 as long. Currants red, not palatable. 



Native of northern latitudes of the Old World, including England and 

 Scotland. It is abundant in woods near Fountains Abbey, in Yorkshire. 

 The largest specimens I know of form part of the old hedge on the east 

 front terrace of the old hall at Troutbeck ; according to a letter at Kevv they 

 are tree-like, 15 ft. high, and not less than three hundred years old. 

 Although this currant has no special beauty of flower or fruit it makes a very 

 neat and pleasing shrub, admirable for shady places. Occasionally plants 

 with perfect flowers may be found. 



