GOOSEBERRY FAMILY 



Flowers. — May, June. Small, perfect, greenish, bell-shaped, 

 borne in erect, slender racemes which appear from the same buds 

 as the leaves. Pedicels short, glandular, bracted at base. 



Calyx. — Coherent with the ovary, broad, bell-shaped, five- 

 lobed ; lobes obovate or roundish, greenish white or purplish. 



Corolla. — Petals five, small, spatulate or fan-shaped, greenish 

 purple, inserted on the throat of the calyx. 



Stamens. — Five, inserted on the throat of the calyx, alternate 

 with the petals, short; anthers often purple. 



Pistil. — Ovary coherent with the calyx, one-celled ; style two- 

 cleft. Ovary, peduncle and pedicels covered with glandular- 

 tipped hairs. 



Fruit. — Small, pale red berry, glandular, bristly. 



This is one of the intercontinental plants, found both 

 in America and Asia. It may be recognized by its 

 long", prostrate, trailing stems, its deeply heart-shaped 

 leaves, its small greenish flowers borne in erect ra- 

 cemes, and its pale red currants, bristly glandular. 

 Both plant and fruit emit a disagreeable odor when 

 bruised. It does not take kindly to cultivation ; it 



loves the cold, damp woods and 

 languishes in warmth and sun- 

 shine. 



RED CURRANT 



Ribes riibrum. 



The Red Currant of our gardens 

 is undoubtedly of European origin 

 and has been modified by cultiva- 

 tion ; nevertheless in essentials it 

 differs very slightly from our own wild form. The 

 parent bush was unquestionably an inhabitant of cool, 

 moist, shady northern haunts, and to-day the self-same 



232 



Red Currant, Ribes rubrum. 



