300 THE KIBES FAMILY. 



rope to the Caucasus, and having been very long cultivated as a curio- 

 sity, it is widely spread over northern Europe, as an introduced plant, 

 on cottage-roofs and old walls. It is only under such circumstances 

 that it is to be met with in Britain. Fl. summer. 



XXX. THE RIBES FAMILY. BIBESIACEJK. 



This family is identical with the Linnsean genus Bibes, and 

 nearly allied to the exotic shrubby genera of the Saxifrage family, 

 but maintained as distinct on account of the succulent fruit with 

 parietal placentas, and the union of the styles at the base, indi- 

 cating some approach to the Cactus family. 



I. RIBES. KIBES. 



Shrubs, with alternate, palmately veined or lobed leaves, no stipules, 

 and axillary flowers in racemes, or rarely solitary. Calyx adherent to 

 the ovary at the base, the limb divided into 4 or 5 segments. Petals 

 as many, very small and scale-like, inserted at the base of the segments 

 of the calyx. Stamens as many. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with many 

 ovules inserted on 2 parietal placentas. Style deeply divided into 2 or 

 4 lobes. Fruit a berry, filled with juicy pulp, in which the seeds are sus- 

 pended by long stalks. Albumen horny, with a small, straight embryo. 



A genus spread over the whole of the temperate regions of the north- 

 ern hemisphere. The species are most numerous in north-western 

 America, and a small number extend down the Andes to the southern 

 extremity of that continent. 



Stems prickly. Peduncles 1 or 2-flowered 1. Gooseberry R. 



Stems unarmed. Flowers in racemes. 

 Flowers all complete. 



Leaves inodorous. Pedicels all short. Fruit red or 



white 2. Currant R. 



Leaves strongly scented. Lowest pedicels of each ra- 

 ceme longer than the upper ones. Fruit black . . 4. Black R. 

 Flowers dioecious. Fruit red 3. Mountain R. 



The scarlet Bibes and several others, now frequent in our shrubberies, 

 are natives of north-western America. 



1. Gooseberry Bibes. Bibes Grossularia, Linn. (Fig. 368.) 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1292, and B. Uva-crispa, Eng. Bot. t. 2057.) 

 A much branched but rather weak shrub, 3 or 4 feet high, with 

 numerous palmately spreading prickles, either single or two or three 



