BED OR REDDISH PURPLE 43 



SWAMP GOOSEBERRY 

 Ribes lacustre Gooseberry Family 



Fruit. — The berry of the SwamjD Gooseberry 

 is small, about one-sixth of an inch throuo-h. 

 It is prickly, although the bristles are weak. 

 It is reddish or dark purple, and often grows 

 in raceme-like clusters. The dried calyx per- 

 sists at the summit. The seeds have crusta- 

 ceous coats, surrounded by gelatinous ones, and 

 are suspended by tiny threads. The flavor is 

 unpleasant. July, August. 



Leaves. — One characteristic of the species is 

 its deeply cut, five-lobed leaves. The petioles 

 are slender and hairy. The leaf is thin, and 

 hairy along the veins beneath. 



Floivers. — The greenish flowers grow in 

 many-flowered racemes, differing in this respect 

 from the other gooseberries. 



Ribes lacustre seems to be an intermediate 

 form between gooseberries and currants. The 

 young stems are quite prickly, and the spines 

 are weak and single or clustered. The older 

 branches are smooth, excepting a few axillary 

 spines. The plant favors wet woods or swamps 



