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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 (Spreading Gooseberry)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Core eudicots
Order:
Saxifragales
Family:
Grossulariaceae

Genus:
Ribes

Species

See text.

The range of Ribes
Synonyms[2][3]
  • Grossularia Miller
  • Ribesium Medikus

Ribes /ˈraɪbiːz/ is a genus of about 150 known species[4] of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae, but a few taxonomists place the gooseberry species in a separate genus of Grossularia. Seven subgenera are recognized.

Sometimes Ribes is instead included in the family Saxifragaceae.

Cultivation

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

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.[5]

Ecology

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

Selected species

Redcurrant, berries

References

  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. ^ Christenhusz, M. J. M.; Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3). Magnolia Press: 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
  6. ^ "Ribes divaricatum". RHS Plants. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
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