Ribes cynosbati - (image 1 of 4)
Taxonomy
Family: Grossulariaceae
Habitat
Mesic woods, springy areas.
Associates
Distribution
New England west to ND and SD, south OK to GA
Morphology
Low woody shrub, more or less prickly. Leaves alternate, palmately veined, pubescent. Flowers greenish-yellow; stamens at anthesis shorter than the sepals and as long as the petals; hypanthium campanulate from a rounded base; sepals reflexed; fruit green to purplish when ripe, spiny.
Notes
Flowers mid April to early June
Wetland indicator: Upland
Specimens with glabrous ovaries can be distinguished from R. missouriense by the short calyx tubes. The fruit is reddish and edible when ripe, although the spines make it necessary to squeeze the pulp out. The flavor reminds me of apples.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G.
Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
USDA, NRCS. 2002.
The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
|
Michael Hough © 2005 |