RIBES 405 



long ; petals white, sometimes rosy tinted. Berry globose, covered with 

 glandular bristles, the remains of the flower persisting at the top. 



Native of Western N. America ; introduced in 1830. A free-growing 

 gooseberry, which flowers freely in this country in May. From R. Lobbii, 

 with which it is much confused in gardens, it is distinguished by its bristly 

 stems, the stalked glands on the ovary, and the tapered anthers. The 

 contrast of purple and white in the flowers is pretty. 



K. MOGOLLONICUM, Greene. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 8120.) 



A sturdy unarmed shrub, said to become 9 to n ft. high ; young shoots 

 smooth or nearly so. Leaves three- or five-lobed, 2 to 3^ ins. long and wide ; 

 heart-shaped at the base, smooth above, downy only on the veins beneath, 

 and with scattered glands which impart a somewhat disagreeable odour to 

 the leaves when rubbed ; stalk downy and glandular. Flowers greenish 

 white, themselves short-stalked, but closely set on erect long-stalked racemes 

 i to i^ ins. long ; the stalks and ovary covered densely with stalked glands. 

 Currants \ in. wide, roundish ovoid, glandular, blue. 



Native of Colorado, New Mexico, etc. ; introduced to Kew in 1900, 

 where it is very hardy and fruits freely. Its only interest for the garden is in 

 the blue, ultimately black, glandular fruits arranged densely in more or less 

 erect spikes. It belongs to the same group of currants as R. sanguineum, 

 but has none of the flower beauty of that species. 



R. MULTIFLORUM, Kitaibel. 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 2368.) 



This is one of the red currant group, and, as regards its flowers, the most 

 striking ; they are yellowish green, crowded on slender, cylindrical, pendulous 

 racemes, sometimes 4 to 5 ins. long. When well furnished with these the 

 shrub is quite ornamental. For the rest, it is vigorous, up to 6 ft. high, and 

 has stout unarmed branches stouter perhaps than those of any other currant ; 

 leaves of the red currant shape and size, grey with down beneath. Fruit 

 roundish, red when ripe, \ in. diameter. 



Native of S. and E. Europe ; introduced about 1818. 



R. NIGRUM, Linnceus. BLACK CURRANT. 



An unarmed shrub, 5 or 6 ft. high, distinguished by its peculiar odour, 

 due to small yellowish glands sprinkled freely over the lower surface of the 

 leaf, which is conspicuously three-lobed, deeply notched at the base, long 

 stalked, coarsely toothed. Flowers bell-shaped, dull white, in racemes, each 

 flower from the axil of a minute bract ; fruits black. 



Native of Europe and Siberia, possibly of Britain. Several varieties of 

 this species so well-known as the " black currant " of fruit gardens have 

 been distinguished. The two first mentioned are curious and interesting, 

 but no others are worth cultivating as ornamental shrubs : 



Var. DI'SSECTUM. Leaves very curiously cut, each of the three lobes 

 reaching back to the stalk, and again bipinnately lobed. 



Var. LACINIATUM. The three primary lobes reaching nearly or quite to 

 the stalk, and pinnately lobed. 



Var. RETICULATUM. Leaves mottled thickly with yellow. 



R. CULVERWELLII, Macfarlane, is a hybrid between the black currant 



