Ribes glandulosum
skunk currant
Family Grossulariaceae
About
Ribes glandulosum, the skunk currant, is a low deciduous currant widespread across Canada and the northern United States, with pink flower clusters and dark red berries of variable taste.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Mature size
- About 0.5 m (2 ft) tall and wide.
Field notes
Morphology
A deciduous shrub about 0.5 m tall and wide. Leaves 2.5–7.5 cm wide are palmately divided into 5–7 deeply cut lobes. Elongated clusters of 6–15 pink flowers give way to dark red, egg-shaped berries.
Distribution & habitat
All Canadian provinces and territories, plus Alaska, the Great Lakes region, the Appalachians and the northeastern US, in humid forests, thickets, clearings and rocky slopes.
History & etymology
The Woods Cree and Algonquin ate the berries; the Ojibwe and Woods Cree also used root and stem decoctions as traditional remedies.
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, but endangered in Connecticut and New Jersey and presumed extirpated in Ohio.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Canada, United States
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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