Ribes glandulosum explained

Ribes glandulosum, the skunk currant, 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).^{[1] [2]}

Ribes glandulosum is a deciduous shrub growing to 0.50NaN0 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.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Conservation status in the United States

It is listed as endangered in Connecticut^[6] and New Jersey, and presumed extirpated in Ohio.^[7]

As a noxious weed

It is considered a noxious weed in Michigan, and planting it is prohibited in certain parts of the state.^[8]

Ethnobotany

The Ojibwe people take a compound decoction of the root for back pain and for "female weakness".^[9] 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.^[10] The Algonquin people use the berries as food.^[11]

Notes and References

1. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/State/Ribes%20glandulosum.png Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
2. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Ribes%20glandulosum.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
3. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RIGL United States Department of Agriculture plants profile
4. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ribes+glandulosum Plants for a Future
5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242430398 Flora of North America, Ribes glandulosum Grauer, 1784. Skunk currant, gadellier glanduleux
6. Web site: Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Plants . State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources . 28 December 2021.
7. Web site: Plants Profile for Ribes glandulosum (skunk currant) . plants.usda.gov . 22 December 2017 . .
8. Web site: Plants Profile for Ribes glandulosum (skunk currant) . plants.usda.gov . 22 December 2017 . .
9. Densmore, Frances 1928 Uses of Plants by the Chippewa Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #44:273–379 (p. 356)
10. 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)
11. 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)