Ribes laxiflorum
trailing black currant
Family GrossulariaceaeAlso called spreading currant
About
Ribes laxiflorum, the trailing black currant, is a low, spineless currant of western North America that can scramble like a vine in shade; its berries are eaten locally despite being unpalatable raw.
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
- Usually 0.5–1 m (1.5–3.5 ft) tall; can trail or climb to 7 m.
Field notes
Morphology
A spreading, trailing shrub usually 0.5–1 m tall, occasionally climbing to 7 m on supports in shade. Stems are fuzzy and glandular without spines. Hairy leaves up to 10 cm wide have 5–7 blunt-toothed lobes. Erect racemes of up to eight flowers have greenish, purplish or red sepals and tiny red or pink club-shaped petals.
Distribution & habitat
Alaska and Yukon south to northern California and New Mexico, and also recorded in Siberia. Grows in moist mountain forests, clearings, streambanks and road edges.
History & etymology
Many Pacific Northwest and Alaskan peoples eat the berries fresh, boiled or preserved, and several used roots, bark or twigs in traditional remedies; the Hesquiat made pipe stems from the woody stems.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States, Canada, Russia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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