Yosemite Wildflowers by Judy Breckling & Barry Breckling

Author:Judy Breckling & Barry Breckling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Falcon Guides
Published: 2019-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

ALPINE GOOSEBERRY

Ribes lasianthum

Gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae)

Description: This spreading shrub is 1–3' tall and has stout, sparsely hairy branches with 1–3 spines, up to ⅜" long, at the leaf and branch nodes and no prickles between the nodes. Its thin, roundish, sparsely glandular-hairy leaves are about ¾" wide and are somewhat deeply divided into 3 or 5 blunt lobes with a few teeth that are usually rounded. The erect to pendulous flowers, which are less than ½" long, grow in groups of 2–4 from leaf axils. The cylindric, hairy, lemon-yellow flower tube (hypanthium) ends with 5 lemon-yellow sepals that are reflexed or erect. The 5 yellow petals extend beyond the flower tube and conceal the 6 stamens. The red berries are about ¼" wide and are mostly smooth.

Flowering time: June–July

Habitat/range: Open, rocky areas; montane and subalpine zones; 6,500–10,000'.

Comments: Although people eat currants and gooseberries and often use them to make jellies, jams, and pies, the berries of some species are unpalatable and the berries of others are toxic. Currants have branches with no spines, and goose-berries have spiny branches. Native Americans made fishhooks with the spines of some gooseberries, and they also used gooseberry spines to remove splinters.

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