Ribes laxiflorum
| Ribes laxiflorum | |
|---|---|
| |
| R. laxiflorum specimen from Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, British Columbia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Grossulariaceae |
| Genus: | Ribes |
| Species: | R. laxiflorum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ribes laxiflorum | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ribes affine Douglas ex Bong. Ribes altamirani Jancz. | |
Ribes laxiflorum is a species of currant known by the common names trailing black currant, and spreading currant.[1] It is native to western North America.
Description[edit]
Ribes laxiflorum is a spreading, trailing shrub usually growing .5–1 metre (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄2 feet) in height. It has been known to take a somewhat vine-like form in appropriate shady habitat with nearby supports, climbing to 7 m (23 ft) in length.[2] It has fuzzy, glandular stems lacking spines and prickles. The hairy, glandular, maple-shaped leaves are up to 10 centimetres (4 inches) long and deeply divided into several pointed lobes lined with dull teeth. The inflorescence is a mostly erect raceme of up to eight flowers. The distinctive flower has five greenish, purplish, or red sepals which are often curved back at the tips. At the center is a corolla of five red or pink petals each measuring 1 millimetre (1⁄32 in) long, narrow at the base and wider or club-shaped at the tip. Inside the corolla are five red stamens tipped with whitish anthers. The fruit is a purple-black berry measuring 4–14 mm (3⁄16–9⁄16 in) wide which is waxy, hairy, or bristly in texture.[2]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
It is native to western North America from Alaska and Yukon south as far as northern California and New Mexico;[3] it has also been found in Siberia. Its habitat includes moist mountain forests, open clearings, streambanks, and the borders of mountain roads.
Uses[edit]
The berries are eaten locally (variously fresh, boiled, or as preserves) by Bella Coola, Haisla, Hanaksiala, Hesquiat, Kwakiutl, Lummi, Makah, Oweekeno, Skagit, and Tanana peoples.[4]
Other traditions use R. laxiflorum for an infusion to make an eyewash (roots and or branches, by the Bella Coolah).[4]
Decoctions of: bark to remedy tuberculosis (with the roots, by the Skokomish); or for the common cold (Skagit): leaves and twigs, as a general tonic (Lummi).[4]
Woody stems are fashioned into pipe stems (Hesquiat).[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Flora Americae Septentrionalis; or, a Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America 2:731. 1813–1814 "Ribes laxiflorum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ a b Flora of North America, Ribes laxiflorum Pursh, 1813. Trailing black or spreading currant
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
- ^ a b c d Dan Moerman. "Search for Ribes laxiflorum". Native American Ethnobotany Database. Dearborn, Michigan: University of Michigan. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
External links[edit]
Media related to Ribes laxiflorum at Wikimedia Commons- Jepson Manual Treatment
- Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California
