RIBES UVA-CRISPA

Family:- SAXIFRAGACEAE

Common Names:- Wild gooseberry

Synonyms:- Ribes grossularia ssp. austro-europaeum

Meaning:- Ribes (L) From the Persian, ribas, for acid-tasting.

Uva-crispa (L) Curly-bunch.

General description:- Plant 1-1·5 m, freely and intricately branched, and armed at

the nodes with stout spines, usually in groups of 3 (very rarely absent).

Leaves:- 2-5 cm wide, rarely more rather deeply lobed, glabrous or pubescent.

Flowers:- In axillary clusters of 1-3; pedicels with 2 bracteoles near the middle.

Sepals 5-7 mm, ligulate, pale or pinkish-green; petals white, smaller.

Fruit:- c. 10 mm diam, green, yellow or purplish-red, usually hispid.

Key features:-

1) Flowers in axillary clusters of 1-3.

2) Leaves usually more than 20 mm wide.

3) Spines usually present.

4) Bracteoles present.

Habitat:- Rocky limestone slopes, dolines and open coniferous woodland,

generally on limestone. 1000-1700 m.

Distribution:- Endemic to Greece, found mainly in the mountains of Peloponnisos

and locally in Stera Elias. Rare on Crete, known from only few locaions in the

Psiloritis, Dikti and Afendis Kavousi massifs.

Flowering time:- May-June.

Photo by:- Kind permission of Saxifraga - Free Nature Images

FAMILY and GENUS DESCRIPTIONS

SAXIFRAGACEAE

General description:- Herbs, mostly perennial.

Flowers:- 4- or 5-merous, usually in cymes (rarely solitary or in racemes). Petals

usually 4 or 5; sometimes absent. Stamens twice as many as the sepals, or rarely

equal in number or fewer. Carpels 2; united below but usually divergent above;

styles free. Ovary superior, semi-inferior or almost inferior.

Fruit:- A capsule. Seeds numerous.

Key features:-

1) Leaves not more than 6 cm wide.

2) Hypanthium united with lower part of ovary, or absent.

RIBES

General description:- Small or medium-sized shrubs.

Leaves:- Palmately 3- or 5-lobed.

Flowers:- Petals small, often greenish.