Plants 1-2 m. Stems erect to sprawling, tomentose, stipitate-glandular; spines at nodes 1-3, 5-12 mm; prickles on internodes absent. Leaves: petiole 1-2.5 cm, tomentose, stipitate-glandular; blade roundish to broadly triangular, 3-5-lobed, cleft 1/2 to midrib, 1-3 cm, base truncate to cuneate, surfaces pubescent, with long-stalked glands, or glabrous, lobes oblong, margins with rounded teeth, apex rounded. Inflorescences pendent, solitary flowers, 2-3 cm, axis stipitate-glandular. Pedicels not jointed, 2-3 mm, tomentose, stipitate-glandular; bracts lanceolate, 1 mm, pubescent. Flowers: hypanthium green, tubular, 6-8 mm, pubescent; sepals not overlapping, spreading, orange, orangish, or purplish, oblong-rounded, 6-16 mm; petals nearly connivent, erect, pale orange, oval to oblong, not conspicuously revolute or inrolled, 4-6 mm; nectary disc not prominent; stamens shorter than petals; filaments linear, 4 mm, glabrous; anthers cream, oval to oblong, 1-1.3 mm, apex raised, notched; ovary densely bristly; styles connate nearly to stigma, 6-8 mm, glabrous. Berries palatable, dark purple, globose, 10-15 mm, densely spiny.
Flowering Mar-Sep. Coniferous forests; 1900-3100 m; Ariz., N.Mex.
Ribes pinetorum is the most important member of the genus within its range for spread of white pine blister rust (E. P. Van Arsdel and B. W. Geils 2004). The anthers are connivent, separating in age.
Common Name: orange gooseberry
Duration: Perennial
Nativity: Native
Lifeform: Shrub
General: Deciduous shrub, up to 2 m (7 ft) tall; armed with 1-3 nodal spines, these mostly curved, often over 10 mm long, without internodal bristles; stems sprawling; branches gray, becoming purplish with age; twigs tan to reddish brown, pubescent.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, orbicular in outline, up to 6.4 cm long, 2.5-4 cm wide, 5-lobed, dark green above, pale green below with prominent net-like veins, glabrous to slightly pubescent on both surfaces, margins irregularly toothed; petiole 0.5-3.5 cm.
Flowers: Solitary; subtending bracts lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2-3 mm long; pedicels 2-4 mm long, non-glandular pubescent and with some glandular bristles, not jointed below the ovary; ovary densely glandular-bristly; hypanthium cylindrical, 4-6.5 mm long, greenish white or greenish yellow and purple tinged; calyx lobes 7-9 mm long, off-white or yellowish and purple tinged, erect; petals 5-6 mm long, off-white and lightly to strongly purple tinged.
Fruits: Berry, globose, 10-15 mm in diameter, dark purple to reddish purple, densely spiny.
Ecology: Found on moist slopes and understory in coniferous forest, meadow openings, talus slopes from 7,000-10,000 ft (2134-3048 m), flowers April-September.
Distribution: Apache, Coconino, Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo, Pima, and Yavapai counties; southwestern U.S., Mexico.
Notes: Nodal spines on Ribes pinetorum are stouter than those of R. montigenum. Another similar species is Ribes inerme (whitestem gooseberry), which can be distinguished by the smaller (3-7 mm) nodal spines, which may be absent on some plants, the occasional presence of internodal bristles, inflorescence of 1-4 flowered racemes, glabrous pedicels and ovaries, cup- or bell-shaped hypanthium, shorter calyx lobes (3-4.5 mm) and petals (1-2 mm), and glabrous berries. It occupies similar habitats from 6,500-8,500 ft (1981-2591 m) in Apache, Coconino, and Navajo counties.
Editor: Springer et al. 2011
