Ribes echinellum, the Miccosukee gooseberry,[2] is a very rare North American shrub in the currant family, native to the southeastern United States.[3] It has only a few known populations. The Florida populations were discovered first, in 1924 at Lake Miccosukee. The South Carolina populations were found in 1957 and 1981, and the first is protected at Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve.[4]
| Ribes echinellum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Grossulariaceae |
| Genus: | Ribes |
| Species: | R. echinellum
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| Binomial name | |
| Ribes echinellum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Ribes echinellum is a shrub up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall with spines at the nodes (places where the leaves are attached to the stem). Leaves are round or egg-shaped with three lobes. It has whitish or pale yellow flowers and purple spine-covered berries.[5][6]
Cultivation
editRibes echinellum is cultivated in a few places outside its native areas, as far south as Hudson, Florida, but does not reproduce there.
It is most abundant in the shade of deciduous trees on moist but well-drained soils with pH of 6.7 to 7.4.[7]
References
edit- ^ The Plant List, Ribes echinellum (Coville) Rehder
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ribes echinellum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
- ^ Ribes echinellum - United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation
- ^ Flora of North America, Ribes echinellum (Coville) Rehder, 1926. Miccosukee gooseberry
- ^ Ribes echinellum - Florida Natural Areas Inventory photos, description, line drawings, information on ecological and conservation concerns
- ^ Endangered Species Spotlight - Miccosukee Gooseberry
External links
edit- Nature in Focus photos
- R. Todd Engstrom & Tom Radzio (2014) What's Eating the Fruit of the Miccosukee Gooseberry? Castanea: March 2014, Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 27-31. natural threats to the species