Ribes glandulosum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species:
R. glandulosum
Binomial name
Ribes glandulosum
Grauer 1784 not Ruiz & Pav. 1802[1]

Ribes glandulosum, the skunk currant,[2] is a North American species of flowering plant in the currant family. It is widespread in Canada (all 10 provinces and all 3 territories) and is also found in parts of the United States (Alaska, the Great Lakes region, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Northeast).[3][4]

Ribes glandulosum is a deciduous shrub growing to 0.5 m (2 ft) tall and wide. It has palmately lobed leaves with 5 or 7 deeply cut segments. Flowers are in elongated clusters of 6–15 pink flowers. Fruits are red and egg-shaped, sometimes palatable but sometimes not.[5][6][2]

Conservation status in the United States

It is listed as endangered in Connecticut[7] and New Jersey, and presumed extirpated in Ohio.[8]

As a noxious weed

It is considered a noxious weed in Michigan, and planting it is prohibited in certain parts of the state.[9]

Ethnobotany

The Ojibwe people take a compound decoction of the root for back pain and for "female weakness".[10] The Woods Cree use a decoction of the stem, either by itself or mixed with wild red raspberry, to prevent clotting after birth, eat the berries as food, and use the stem to make a bitter tea.[11] The Algonquin people use the berries as food.[12]

References

  1. ^ The International Plant Names Index
  2. ^ a b Flora of North America, Ribes glandulosum Grauer, 1784. Skunk currant, gadellier glanduleux
  3. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
  4. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. ^ United States Department of Agriculture plants profile
  6. ^ Plants for a Future
  7. ^ "Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Plants". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Plants Profile for Ribes glandulosum (skunk currant)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Plants Profile for Ribes glandulosum (skunk currant)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  10. ^ Densmore, Frances 1928 Uses of Plants by the Chippewa Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #44:273–379 (p. 356)
  11. ^ Leighton, Anna L. 1985 Wild Plant Use by the Woods Cree (Nihithawak) of East-Central Saskatchewan. Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series (p. 54)
  12. ^ Black, Meredith Jean 1980 Algonquin Ethnobotany: An Interpretation of Aboriginal Adaptation in South Western Quebec. Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series Number 65 (p. 88)
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