RIBES 399 



more wide ; pale green on both sides, and smooth, or soon becoming so ; 

 stalks smooth or downy, to 2 ins. long, very variable in length compared 

 with the blade. Flowers spicily fragrant, bright golden yellow, appearing 

 in April in semi-pendulous racemes i to 2 ins. long, each flower with a 

 tubular calyx | in. long, the spreading lobes 5- to in. long ; bract at the 

 base of the flower-stalk longer than the latter is. Fruit black-purple, round, 

 smooth, in. diameter. 



Native of the central United States ; introduced in 1812. This species 

 and R. sanguineum are by far the most attractive of the currants in their 

 blossom, and it is very distinct among them in its long, tubular, yellow calyx. 

 Of several forms the best is 



Var. AURANTIACUM, with fragrant flowers of a deeper, more orange shade 

 than usual, and a more compact habit. 



Var. TENUIFLORUM (R. tenuiflorum, Lindley, Bot. Reg., 1274), differs from 

 the type in having smaller flowers without fragrance, and in the fruits being 

 amber coloured and translucent, with an acid flavour. It is also a taller shrub, 

 up to 12 ft. high. According to Dr Coville this is the true R. aureum of 

 Pursh. 



R. BRACTEOSUM, Douglas. 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 7419.) 



An unarmed, deciduous shrub, 6 to 8 ft. high ; young shoots smooth, 

 except for a little loose down at first. Leaves handsomely five- or seven-lobed, 

 3 to 7 ins. (sometimes more) wide ; the lobes palmate, reaching half or more 

 than half way to the midrib, sharply and irregularly toothed ; dotted with 

 resin-glands beneath ; bright green and soon quite smooth above ; stalk 

 slender, often longer than the blade, smooth except for a few bristles at the 

 base. Racemes produced in May, erect, slender, up to 8 ins. long. Flowers 

 numerous, greenish yellow, erect, \ in. across, each on a slender, slightly 

 downy stalk about \ in. long. Currants erect, resin-dotted, globose, \ in. 

 diameter, black with a blue- white bloom. 



Native of Western N. America ; discovered by Douglas in 1826. An 

 interesting species of the black currant (nigrum) group, very distinct in its 

 large maple-like leaves (occasionally 10 ins. across) and long, slender, erect 

 racemes. Rarely seen, but quite hardy at Kew. 



R. CEREUM, Douglas. 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 3008.) 



A grey, deciduous, unarmed shrub, 3 to 6 ft. high, of rounded, compact 

 habit ; young shoots downy and glandular. Leaves roundish or rather 

 broader than long, three- or five-lobed, the lobes irregularly round-toothed, 

 the base straight or heart-shaped, \ to i ins. wide ; upper surface sown with 

 white, resinous glands and slightly downy, lower one dow r ny on the veins ; 

 stalk downy, glandular, nearly as long as the blade. Flowers tubular, \ to 

 ^ in. long, clustered two to five together at the end of a short, downy, 

 glandular stalk, the individual flower almost stalklesf , downy, white tinged 

 with rose, produced in the axil of a comparatively large, toothed, glandular- 

 downy, wedge-shaped bract. Fruit bright red, \ in. diameter. Style downy. 



Native of Western N. America ; introduced in 1827 by David Douglas. 

 It is a very pleasing shrub, conspicuous in the pale grey tint of its young 

 leaves, and pretty in the delicate colouring of its abundant blooms. These 

 appear with the young leaves in April. 



R. INEBRIANS, Lindley (Bot. Reg., t. 1471). Very similar to the above, 

 and equally pleasing, this differs in having the bract at the base of each 



