Ribes

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This article is about the genus of flower plant. For the commune in southern France, see Ribes, Ardèche. For the region in Catalonia, see Vall de Ribes.
Ribes
Ribes divaricatum 5391.JPG
Ribes divaricatum (Spreading Gooseberry)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
DC.[1]
Genus: Ribes
L.
Species

See text.
Grossulariaceae Distribution.svg
The range of Ribes
Synonyms[2][3]

Ribes /ˈraɪbiːz/ is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae. Seven subgenera are recognized.

Sometimes Ribes is instead included in the family Saxifragaceae. A few taxonomists place the gooseberry species in a separate genus of Grossularia.

Cultivation[edit]

The genus Ribes includes the edible currants (blackcurrant, redcurrant, white currant), gooseberry, and several hybrid varieties. It should not be confused with the dried currant used in cakes and puddings, which is a cultivar of small grape (Zante currant). It gives its name to the popular blackcurrant cordial Ribena.

The genus also includes the group of ornamental plants collectively known as the flowering currants, for instance R. sanguineum.

There are restrictions on growing some Ribes species in some U.S. states, as they are the main alternate host for White Pine Blister Rust.

Medicinal[edit]

Blackfoot Indians used blackcurrant root (Ribes hudsonianum) for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems. Cree Indians used the fruit of Ribes glandulosum as a fertility enhancer to assist women in becoming pregnant.

Currant root and seeds are high in gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA). GLA has been clinically verified as an effective treatment for pre-menstrual syndrome.[4]

Ecology[edit]

Currants are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera-Butterfly species.

Selected species[edit]

Redcurrant, berries

References[edit]

  1. ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III" (PDF). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. Retrieved 2013-07-06. 
  2. ^ Flora of North America, Ribes Linnaeus, 1753; Currant, gooseberry
  3. ^ Flora of China, Ribes Linnaeus, 1753. 茶藨子属 cha biao zi shu
  4. ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
  5. ^ "Ribes divaricatum". RHS Plants. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2014-11-04. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ribes.
Wikispecies has information related to: Ribes
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