Ribes lacustre

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Ribes lacustre
Ribes lacustre 5047.JPG
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species:
R. lacustre
Binomial name
Ribes lacustre
(Pers.) Poir., 1812
Distribution of Ribes lacustre.jpg
Distribution
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Grossularia lacustris (Pers.) Ser. (1847)
    • Ribes oxyacanthoides var. lacustre Pers. (1805)
    • Limnobotrya lacustris (Pers.) Rydb. (1917)
    • Ribes echinatum Douglas ex Lindl. (1830)
    • Ribes parvulum (A.Gray) Rydb. (1900)
    • Ribes setosum A.Gray (1872)
    • Limnobotrya echinata Rydb. (1917)
    • Limnobotrya parvula (A.Gray) Rydb. (1917)

The shrub Ribes lacustre is known by the common names prickly currant, bristly black currant, [3] black swamp gooseberry, and black gooseberry. [4] It is widely distributed in North America.

Contents

Description

The shrub grows erect to spreading, .5–2 metres (1+126+12 feet). The deciduous leaves are palmate, alternately arranged, and 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 in) wide, [5] usually with 5 deeply indented lobes and a heart-shaped base. Leaf margins are toothed, and the upper side is dark and glossy green. [6]

Clusters of reddish to maroon flowers bloom from April through August. [7] Racemes of 5 to 15 pink disk-shaped flowers hang from stems covered with short hairs, bristles and, at leaf nodes, larger thick spines. [8] Bark on older stems is cinnamon-colored. [6] The fruit consists of dark purple berries [5] 6–8 millimetres (14516 inch) long.

Distribution and habitat

It is widely distributed, from California to Alaska and across North America east to Pennsylvania and Newfoundland, and south as far as New Mexico. [9] It may be found in low-elevation forests and swamps all the way up to the subalpine. [7]

Preferred Sites

It is considered to be an extremely hardy species, capable of tolerating a wide range of soil types and conditions, as evidenced by its wide distribution. It occurs in moist woods and forests, meadow margins, streambanks, and on rough terrain such as avalanche chutes and rock crevices. It does not commonly form dense thickets. [3]

Dispersal

Ribes lacustre regenerates primarily from seed, but can also regenerate vegetatively with adventitious roots which grow when the stems remain in prolonged contact with soil. Plants begin producing seeds when three to five years old, and each mature bush produces around 50-75 berries. Seeds are dispersed by animals or by falling from the parent plant. Seeds remain viable in the soil for long periods. In a mature forest in west-central Idaho, 51 viable prickly currant and sticky currant seeds were found per square foot of soil. [3]

Ecology

Use by Animals

Pricky currant berries are eaten by rodents, bears, birds, Mountain goats, Elk, Mule deer, and White-tailed deer. It is used as cover by birds and small mammals. [3]

White Pine Blister Rust

The White pine blister rust uses Ribes species as part of its life cycle as an alternate host. Only a few prickly currant plants per acre are sufficient to perpetuate blister rust. In an effort to eradicate the rust and protect the economically important Western white pine, a federal ban on the cultivation and propagation of all Ribes species, including Ribes lacustre, went into effect in the early 1910s. Eradication efforts beginning in the 1920s were unsuccessful, as prickly currant is highly resistant to herbicide. The federal ban was lifted in 1966 and eradication attempts were ceased after the USDA successfully bred rust-resistant white pine strains, though local bans remained in place. New York lifted its ban in 2004, and as of 2025 it is illegal to cultivate Ribes lacustre in New Hampshire. [10] [11] [3]

Succession

Prickly currant tolerates shade moderately well, but grows best in canopy openings. It establishes in the sun when the forest canopy is broken due to a disturbance such as wildfire or logging, then persists after the canopy closes up again. After a fire, it regenerates by recolonization from seed, or by regeneration from the root crown if it was able to survive. Even a low severity fire will top-kill the plant, and severe fires which remove the organic soil layer will kill the roots as well. [3]

Outside its native range, Ribes species may be invasive. [12] [ page needed ]

Human Use

Most indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast ate the berries, although the Sechelt considered them poisonous. The berries were eaten fresh when ripe, though they were not collected for storage due to their small size and low numbers. Like Devil's club, the spines of the plant were believed by some groups to have special protective powers against snakes and evil influences. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gooseberry</span> Species of Ribes cultivated for its edible fruit

Gooseberry is a common name for many species of Ribes, as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance, and also several unrelated plants. The berries of those in the genus Ribes are edible and may be green, orange, red, purple, yellow, white, or black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackcurrant</span> Species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae

The blackcurrant, also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically.

<i>Ribes</i> Genus of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales

Ribes is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The species may be known as various kinds of currants, such as redcurrants, blackcurrants, and whitecurrants, or as gooseberries, and some are cultivated for their edible fruit or as ornamental plants. Ribes is the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae.

<i>Ribes triste</i> Berry and plant

Ribes triste, known as the northern redcurrant, swamp redcurrant, or wild redcurrant, is an Asian and North American shrub in the gooseberry family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcurrant</span> Flowering plant species in the gooseberry family

The redcurrant or red currant is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions.

<i>Cronartium ribicola</i> Species of rust fungus

Cronartium ribicola is a species of rust fungus in the family Cronartiaceae that causes the disease white pine blister rust. Other names include: Rouille vésiculeuse du pin blanc (French), white pine Blasenrost (German), moho ampolla del pino blanco (Spanish).

<i>Ribes sanguineum</i> Species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae

Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae. It is native to the western United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jostaberry</span> Berry and plant

The jostaberry is a complex-cross fruit bush in the genus Ribes, involving three original species, the blackcurrant R. nigrum, the North American coastal black gooseberry R. divaricatum, and the European gooseberry R. uva-crispa. It is similar to Ribes × culverwellii, the jochelbeere, which is descended from just two of these species, R. nigrum and R. uva-crispa.

<i>Ribes aureum</i> Species of plant

Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.

<i>Ribes missouriense</i> Species of plant

Ribes missouriense, the Missouri gooseberry, Missouri currant or wild gooseberry, is a prickly, many-stemmed shrub native to the north-central United States. Scattered populations have been found farther east, most of them very likely escapes from cultivation.

Ribes marshallii is a North American species of currant known by the common names Hupa gooseberry and Marshall's gooseberry. It is endemic to the Pacific Northwest's Klamath Mountains.

<i>Ribes montigenum</i> Western North American currant species

Ribes montigenum is a North American species of currant known by the common names mountain gooseberry, alpine prickly currant, western prickly gooseberry, and gooseberry currant.

<i>Ribes roezlii</i> Species of flowering plant

Ribes roezlii is a North American species of gooseberry known by the common name Sierra gooseberry.

<i>Ribes americanum</i> North American species of currant

Ribes americanum is a North American species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family known as wild black currant, American black currant, and eastern black currant. It is widespread in much of Canada and the northern United States.

<i>Ribes oxyacanthoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Ribes oxyacanthoides is a North American species of gooseberry known by the common name Canadian gooseberry. Its various subspecies have common names of their own.

Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, is a woody shrub grown for its berries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackcurrant production in the United States</span> Agricultural production

Blackcurrant production in the United States is relatively limited. The blackcurrant was introduced by English settlers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 and was cultivated on some scale, particularly in New York. The plant acts as a host for the white pine blister rust that threatened the timber industry. In 1911, the federal government banned the cultivation, sale, and transport of blackcurrants to protect the white pine. Government programs systematically destroyed blackcurrant plants by chemical spraying.

<i>Ribes aciculare</i> Species of flowering plant

Ribes aciculare is a species of flowering plant in the currant/gooseberry family Grossulariacea, generally regarded as closely related to Ribes burejense. It is native to central and northern Asia, and has been reported as native to Altay, Kazakhstan, Krasnoyarsk, Mongolia, Tuva, West Siberia, Xinjiang. Its habitats vary from stony hill and mountain slopes to forest margins and thickets. In Northern China it has been found at altitudes of 1,500-2,100 metres. The plant is very cold hardy, and can tolerate temperatures down to -20°C during dormancy.

References

  1. NatureServe (2024). "Ribes lacustre". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  2. "Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carey, Jennifer H. 1995. Ribes lacustre. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/riblac/all.html [2025, January 21].
  4. Wildflowers found in Oregon - Black Swamp Gooseberry
  5. 1 2 Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 205. ISBN   978-1-60469-263-1.
  6. 1 2 3 Pojar, Jim; MacKinnon, Andrew (2004). Plants of the Pacific northwest coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska (Revised ed.). Vancouver: Lone Pine. ISBN   978-1-55105-530-5.
  7. 1 2 Sullivan, Steven. K. (2013). "Ribes lacustre". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  8. Klinkenberg, Brian., ed. (2013). "Ribes lacustre". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  9. Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
  10. "Permits | NH Division of Forests and Lands". archive.is. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  11. Goles, Kelly (2022-10-28). "America's Blackcurrant Ban | In Custodia Legis". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  12. Johnson, D; Kershaw, L (2000). Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen Parkland. Lone Pine Publishing. ISBN   978-1-55105-058-4.