''Ribes montigenum'' is a species of
currant known by the common names mountain gooseberry, alpine prickly currant, western prickly gooseberry, and gooseberry currant. It is native to western North America from
Washington south to
California and east as far as the
Rocky Mountains,
where it grows in high mountain habitat types in
subalpine and
alpine climates, such as forests and
talus. It is a spreading
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
growing up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, the branching stems covered in prickles and hairs and bearing 1 to 5 sharp spines at intervals.
[
The lightly hairy, glandular leaves are up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long and are divided into about five deeply cut or toothed lobes. Each is borne on a petiole several centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a ]raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of several flowers. Each flower has five sepals in shades of yellow-green or pale pink, orange, or yellow which spread into a corolla-like star. At the center are five smaller club-shaped red petals and purple-red stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s tipped with yellowish or cream anthers. The fruit is an acidic but tasty bright-red to orange-red edible berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
up to a centimeter long, which is usually covered in soft bristles. It has only a small dried flower remnant at the end, compared with the long remnant found on wax currants (''Ribes cereum
''Ribes cereum'' is a species of currant known by the common names wax currant and squaw currant; the ''pedicellare'' variety is known as whisky currant. The species is native to western North America.
Description
''Ribes cereum'' is a sprea ...
'').
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7322354
montigenum
Edible fruits
Plants described in 1894
Flora of the Western United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status