Ribes sericeum is a species of currant known by the common name Lucia gooseberry, or Santa Lucia gooseberry; its Latin epithet of sericeum means "of silk".[3] It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast and an additional isolated population in Santa Barbara County.[4][5]

Ribes sericeum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species:
R. sericeum
Binomial name
Ribes sericeum
Synonyms[2]
  • Grossularia sericea (Eastw.) Coville & Britton

Ribes sericeum grows on streambanks in forests and scrub habitat. It is an erect shrub growing one to two meters (40-80 inches) tall, its stems densely hairy and covered in prickles and glandular bristles. Nodes along the stem bear three spines each which may be over a centimeter (0.4 inch) long. The leaves are up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long and are divided into several lobes with toothed edges. The leaves are hairy and glandular, especially on the undersides. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or a raceme of 2 or 3 flowers. Each flower has five reflexed green, red-tinged or red sepals around a tube-shaped ring of smaller whitish petals. The fruit is a purple berry up to 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long which is covered in bristles.[4][6]

References

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  1. ^  Species was first described and published in Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 3, 2: 246. 1902. "Plant Name Details for Ribes sericeum". IPNI. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  2. ^ Tropicos, Ribes sericeum Eastw.
  3. ^ Chuck Griffith. "Dictionary of Botanical Epithets". p. sericatus - sexstylosus. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Flora of North America, Ribes sericeum Eastwood, 1902. Santa Lucia gooseberry
  5. ^ Calflora taxon report, University of California, Ribes sericeum Eastw., Lucia gooseberry, Santa Lucia gooseberry
  6. ^ Coville, Frederick Vernon & Britton, Nathaniel Lord. 1908. North American Flora 22(3): 216
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