Ribes orientale Desf., Hist. Arbr. France 2: 88 1809. (Syn: Ribes alpinum C. A. Mey.; Ribes glutinosum Jacquem.; Ribes resinosum Sims);  
C-Greece, S-Greece, Altai, Mongolia, Caucasus / Transcaucasus, Costa Rica
(introduced), Turkey (E-Anatolia, Inner Anatolia, NE-Anatolia), Iran (N-Iran:
Mts., W-Iran: Mts.), Lebanon (Antilebanon, C-Lebanon), Syria (NW-Syria)
 as per Catalogue of Life


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Id requested for plant #2 from Ladakh : 6 posts by 2 authors. 6 images.

This is from the Zingchen-Rumbak trail in Ladakh, 3815 meters asl. GPS coordinates provided on request.
This shrub was nestled among the rocks in the stream bed, just starting to leaf out after the winter.

Photos taken last week, May 2018.


Ribes sp. for sure. Most probable R. orientale. Need to confirm after further growth of the plant and emergence of inflorescence/flowers.

This is RibesRibes orientale almost for sure.  


Identification on the basis of leaves/ plant characters it looks like Ribes orientale Desf. but I cant confirm without flowers/ fruits.

Fwd: Ribes orientale Desf. – new to eFI; Ribes a neglected genus…. : 1 post by 1 author. Images available at the given link. 
As “light relief” from more complicated and time-consuming genera combined with the pleasure of viewing ‘habitat’ images in the mountains, I have been taking a further look at specimens photographed in Baltistan (part of which is in the Karakoram Range not the ‘Himalaya’ or ‘TransHimalaya’).
However, in the case of Ribes, the situation is not straightforward. The genus needs further study and perhaps revision in the Himalaya.
Let us start with what I understand to be R.orientale, see: http://photos.v-d-brink.eu/Flora-and-Fauna/Asia/Pakistan-new/i-ZJzSv39 
Flowers of the Himalaya record this on stony slopes and amongst rocks @ 2100-4000m from Afghanistan to W.Nepal, Bhutan, SW China,
W & C Asia & Greece.
Stewart knew this as very common and very variable in arid regions in Pakistan, Ladakh & Kashmir @ 2400-3900m.  He agreed with Parker & Hooker in treating this as one variable taxon. Schoenbeck-Temesy in Flora Iranica monographed Ribes.  He split R.orientale into 3: R.orientale proper, R.heterotrichum & R.villosum.
Stewart felt that those collecting currants in the inner mountains should study the R.orientale complex to see if there really are 3 distinct species; he suspected they intergraded.
I note that images a Ribes from VOF have been named as R.himalense. This needs to be checked. Flowers of the Himalaya say “in drier areas only” for this species and I do not think VOF counts as a ‘drier’ area.  Also, if one refers to the book, ‘Valley of Flowers’ it has Ribes glaciale Wall. 
But I consider the whole genus has been under-collected in terms of pressed specimens for herbaria and neglected photographically.
So please, would be photographers in this group look out for and photographed (in good close-up) any specimens they encounter both at the fruiting and flowering stages.
Dickore & Klimes record R.glaciale, R.nigrum and R.orientale for Ladakh.
Flora of Lahaul-Spiti says R.himalense has black berries, whereas ‘Flowers of Himalaya’ say red…..