Ribes (Currants) in Edinburgh / Lothians Download Latest Version • All Sheets Refs - Stace ed 3 p124 • Tutin-Clapham ed 3 p256 • Blamey-Fitter ed 2 p392 • Col Flw Guide ed 1 p228 • Sell-Murrell v2 p105 • Wildflower Key ed 2 p236. Sections - 1. Standard Species with photos, 2. UkIre species, 3. Comparison grid of flowers face-on and side-on. Quick Features Smelly Leaves - If rubbed leaves are strongly smelly of currant, of the ones depicted you have either Flowering or Black Currant. Standard Species Flowering Currant - Common except high hills - Ribes sanguineum - Map hairy-glandy, reddened rubbed leaves smelly can become sizeable white bloomed (may be little/absent) pale pink form (rare) white form (rare) Redcurrant - Frequent (esp woods) except rare high hills - Ribes nigrum - Map Flowers may have a slight purple tinge. rubbed leaves NOT smelly pentagonal ridge narrowing small curvy bracts flattish saucer unhairy tiny (may be glands) tiny petals petals dense(ish) hanging flowers deep gap many buds hairy leaves (inc no orange margins) to 6cm glands red fruit (usual) leaf stalk-base not or little enlarged transparent form Blackcurrant - Frequent throughout (esp wet spots) - Ribes nigrum - Map sizeable petals deep(ish) small bracts hairy often rosy/purply tint leaves large to 10cm rubbed leaves smelly sparse(ish) hanging flowers leaves hairless inc margins fruit purply except under veins then black deepish base gap few buds orange glands (zoom!) widened lf-stalk bases Mountain Currant - Frequentish (woods) (rare in hills) - Ribes alpinum - Map Male and female plants are separate. Female flowers are not flat like the males. large bracts flowers upright glandy stalks dense; flat if male rubbed leaves NOT smelly plant ‘stemmy’ appearance scattered hairs red fruit (if female) truncate-ish bases unswollen stalk base flowers upright to 5 cm Gooseberry - Common within 10km of Coast (esp woods) - Ribes uva-crispa - Map rubbed leaves hairy NOT smelly large petals hairy large green > yellow > red fruit hairy to hairless spiny Other Rare Uk-Ireland Species Coast Gooseberry - Absent (Scotland: 3 records, UkIr: v. rare) - Ribes divaricum - Map Buffalo Currant - Absent (Scotland: 3 records, UkIr: rare) - Ribes odoratum - Map Downy Currant - Absent (UkIr: locally in hills) but perhaps could be present - Ribes spicatum - Map Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry - Absent (UkIr: 2 London records) - Ribes speciosum - Map American Blackcurrant - UkIr: Absent - Ribes americanum - Map Flowers Comparison (Faces) Flowering Currant Red Currant Black Currant Mountain Currant Gooseberry Flowers Comparison (Sides) Flowering Currant Red Currant Black Currant Mountain Currant Gooseberry Info Updated : 2020-02-27 – please check you have the latest version! Contact : David Merrick – facebook.com/meteorquake Facebook Botany Group for Lothians : facebook.com/groups/lothiansbotany All items in this Series : paintdrawer.co.uk/nature/edinburgh/downloads.htm.