Saxtfragec— Ribes. 187 
appellation. It rises to a height of about 6 feet. Leaves 
ovate-lanceolate, dentate, acute. Flowers small, white, in dense 
terminal racemes or spikes. 
TRIBE V. 
RIBESIACES. 
Shrubs with alternate simple deciduous leaves. Stipules 
adnate to the petiole or absent. Flowers usually racemose. 
Ovary inferior, 1-celled ; seeds immersed in pulp. 
9, RIBES. 
Spiny or unarmed. Calyx-limb 5-parted, usually coloured. 
Petals small, alternating with the stamens on the throat of 
the calyx, often scale-like and inconspicuous. Upwards of 
fifty species are described, inhabiting Europe, temperate Asia, 
and America. Ribas is the Arabic name of a medicinal 
plant. The Currants and Gooseberries of our gardens are types 
of this genus. The following are a few of the showiest orna- 
mental species. 
Unarmed Species. 
l. BR. sanguinewm (fig. 100). — This species, of North 
American origin, is now very common in our gardens, and de- 
Fig. 100. Ribes sanguineum. (} nat. size.) 
serving of a place in every shrubbery. Its deep red flowers 
are produced in great abundance in early Spring. There are 
several varieties of it, differing in the colour of the flowers, in- 
cluding white, pink, and crimson, and there is a variety with 
