Fig. 1. Ribes spicatum E.Robson ssp. spicatum, morph 1 (Finland, Lammi, Biological station, 2003). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen). The basal sinus of the leaves is 0-90(-120) degrees generally in R. spicatum (Grossulariaceae) while it was roughly 180º in this bush! The leaves are rather striking also because of the shallow, subobtuse lobes. The leaves are hairy through two kind of hairs: (i) simple, short, somewhat curly hairs, (ii) very short-stalked glands that occur sparsely everywhere (also in the inflorescence) among the simple hairs. In the petiole, the simple hairs occur densely; in the lamina they are fairly evenly distributed, being rather sparse in the upper surface but fairly dense in the underside.
Fig. 2. Ribes spicatum, morph 2 (Finland, Kuhmoinen, Arvaja, 1985). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen). – One bush of this kind was encountered in rich woods. Its leaves are deeply lobed with acute lobes and teeth. The indumentum of the leaves and the petioles is interesting. It is formed by rather abundant, long glandular hairs and scanty, short simple hairs. On upper side of the leaves the hairs occur between the veins but on the underside they are situated along the veins! This plant is difficult to identify as to subspecies. The leaf indumentum is reminiscent of the northeastern (in Finland) R. spicatum ss. hispidulum but the leaf lobation resembles that of the northern R. spicatum ssp. lapponicum.
Created August 29, 2004.