Ribes inerme Rydb. var. inerme
white-stemmed gooseberry (whitestem gooseberry)
Grossulariaceae (Currant family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Reg Newman     (Photo ID #12229)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Ribes inerme var. inerme
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Species Information

General:
Deciduous shrub, loosely branched, 1-2 m tall; stems erect, usually glabrous, unarmed except for a few, 4-10 mm long, nodal spines; bark greyish, flaky, red underneath.
Leaves:
Alternate, mostly egg-shaped, rounded to heart-shaped at the base, 2-8 cm wide, shallowly 3-5-lobed, also with a smaller, lower unequal lobe, glabrous or sometimes sparsely hairy, coarsely toothed; stalks about equal to or slightly longer than the blades, sparsely hairy and with a few stalked, glandular hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of 1-4 flowers in a drooping raceme shorter than the leaves; flower stalks 3-7 mm long, not jointed below the flowers; petals white, 1-1.5 mm long, oblong or egg-shaped; hypanthium tubular bell-shaped, 2.5-3.5 mm long; calyces greenish-white, glabrous or hairy; styles soft-hairy to or above the middle, about equaling the stamens.
Fruits:
Berries, round, reddish-purple, 7-9 mm long, glabrous.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Habitat and Range

Moist to dry streambanks, woodlands and forests in the lowland, montane and subalpine zones; locally frequent in S BC; E to AB and S to MT, NM and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Grossularia inermis (Rydb.) Coville & Britt.
Grossularia inermis var. pubescens Berger
Ribes divaricatum var. inerme (Rydb.) McMinn
Ribes inerme var. subarmatum M.E. Peck
Ribes valicola Greene ex Rydb.