988 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



739 



C. Flowers deep red. Fruit black. 

 $ 39. R. SANGUI'NEUM Pursh. The bloody, or red y fiowered, Currant. 



Identification. Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 164. ; Don's Mill, 3. p. 191. 

 St/nonymes. R. malv&ceum Smith in Rees's Cycl. ; Calobotrya sanguinea Spach. 

 Engravings. Hort. Trans., 7. t. 13.; Bot. Reg., t 1349.; Swt FL-Gard., n. s., t. 109.; and our 

 fig. 739. 



Spec. Char., $c. Leaves cordate, somewhat 5-lobed, serrated, veiny, smoothish 

 above, but clothed with villous tomentum beneath. Racemes drooping, 

 pubescent, twice the length of the leaves. Calyx 

 tubularly campanulate, with oblong, obtuse, spread- 

 ing segments, exceeding the petals, which are red, 

 and quite entire. Bracteas obovate-spathulate. 

 Berries turbinate, hairy. This is, perhaps, the 

 most ornamental species of the genus, bearing a 

 profusion of large racemes of deep rose-coloured 

 flowers, and is, therefore, well adapted for orna- 

 menting shrubberies and pleasure-grounds. The 

 berries are of a bluish black, and insipid ; resem- 

 bling a bilberry more than either a currant or a 

 gooseberry. (jDow's Mill., iii. p. 191.) A native 

 of the north-west coast of America, in abundance, 

 from lat. 38 to 52 N.; usually growing in rocky 

 situations, by the sides of streams. A shrub, 4 ft. 

 to 8 ft. high, flowering in April. Introduced in 1826, and forming by far the 

 most ornamental species of the genus. It is easily propagated, and as hardy 

 as the common black currant. It flowers profusely; and, coming into 

 bloom early in the season, forms the most splendid bush to be seen in 

 British shrubberies, from the middle of April to the middle of May. A 

 great many seeds were sent over by Mr. Douglas, a number of which were 

 distributed by the Horticultural Society ; and the plants produced from 

 them have varied in the colour of their flowers, from pale pink to deep red. 

 The plants, also, seed freely in this country ; and hence a number of varie- 

 ties have been originated by nurserymen, independently of R. (s.) wzalva- 

 ceum and R. (s.) glutinosum, which differ from the species, not only in the 

 shades of colour of their flowers, but also in their leaves. The variety 

 which has the darkest-coloured flowers is R. s. atro-rubens. 

 Varieties. 



ft R. (s.) 2 glutinosum Benth. Hort. Trans., 2d ser. 1. part 6.; R. au- 

 gustum Dougl. MS. and our fig. 740., has the foliage destitute of 

 down, and slightly viscous. The racemes are rather larger than in 

 the species, and of a very pale rose-colour. 



740 



R. (s.) 3 malvdceum Benth., 1. c., and our fig. 741 ., has the leaves rough 

 and hispid on the upper side, and clothed underneath with a whitish 

 cottony down. The racemes of flowers are shorter and closer ; and 

 each flower is almost sessile on the common stalk. In colour, the 

 flowers are rather darker than those of #.(s.)glutin6sum, and have 

 more of a lilac tinge. 



