Ribes heterotrichum C. A. Mey.

A procumbent shrub, 50-90 cm tall, young branches glandular hairy, older ones glabrous. Leaves l.5-2 cm long, l-3 cm broad, orbicular-reniform base broadly cuneate or cordate, obscurely 3-5-lobed, margin slightly dentate, covered both dorsally and ventrally with sessile or stipitate glands; petioles longer than the lamina, glandular hairy. Racemes 2.5-5 cm long, male racemes many flowered, female ones 4-6-flowered, pubescent sparsely or totally glandular. Bracts 2.5-4 mm long, lanceolate, longer than the pedicels, sub-glabrous on both sides, margin glandular, ciliate. (intermixed with simple hairs). Calyx purple or dark purple, slightly hairy, lobes 2 mm long, broadly ovate, obtuse. Petals smaller than the calyx lobes, spathulate. Style bifid.

Shrubs dioecious, 1-1.5 m tall. Branchlets stout, angled, puberulent then glabrescent, unarmed. Buds ovoid-lanceolate to oblong, 4-5 mm, apex acute; scales brown, 1-veined, margin sparsely shortly glandular hairy. Petiole 5-10 mm, puberulent; leaf blade suborbicular, 1-3 cm, glabrous or margin ciliate, rarely sparsely viscid glandular, base broadly cuneate to truncate; lobes 3(-5), margin coarsely obtusely dentate, apex obtuse or acute; terminal lobe subequaling lateral ones. Racemes erect, male ones 2-5 cm, female ones 2-3 cm, 6-10-flowered; rachis and pedicels pubescent, sometimes sparsely shortly stalked glandular; bracts ovate-lanceolate to oblong, 4-5 mm, 1-veined, margin sparsely glandular hairy. Pedicel 2-3 mm. Calyx purple or brownish red, glabrous or puberulent; tube shallowly cupular, 1.5-2.2 mm; lobes erect, ovate, 2-2.5 mm. Petals subflabellate. Stamens slightly longer than petals. Ovary glabrous. Style 2-lobed. Fruit red or red-yellow, sweet tasting, globose, 0.4-0.6 cm, glabrous. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.

Distribution: Alati Mountains, Central Asia, Pamir-Kashgar and W. Pakistan. Reported by Stainton from Chitral, 2900-3800 m.

N Xinjiang [Mongolia, Russia].

Thickets on rocky mountain slopes, ravines, streamsides; 1200-2500 m.

Ribes orientale Desfontaines var. heterotrichum (Meyer) Janczewski.