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, brae ted 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, shad) 7 northern haunts, and to-day the self-same 



232 



Red Currant, Ribes rubrum. 



