Ribes cereum

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Wax currant
Ribes cereum var. cereum, from the Spring Mountains, southern Nevada
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species:
R. cereum
Binomial name
Ribes cereum
Varieties

Ribes cereum var. colubrinum C.L.Hitchc. [2]
Ribes cereum var. farinosum

Jancz. [3]

Ribes cereum var. pedicellare A.Gray [4]
Ribes cereum var. viridescens Jancz. [5]
Ribes inebrians Lindl.[6]
Ribes spathianum Koehne

Ribes cereum is a species of currant known by the common names wax currant[7] and squaw currant;[8] the pedicellare variety is known as whisky currant. The species is native to western North America.

Description

Ribes cereum is a spreading or erect

leaves are hairless to quite hairy and usually studded with visible resin glands, particularly around the edges. The inflorescence is a clustered raceme of 2 to 9 flowers. The small flower is tubular with the white to pink sepals curling open at the tips to form a corolla-like structure. Inside there are minute white or pinkish petals, five stamens, and two protruding green styles. The fruit is a rather tasteless orange-red berry[8] up to 1 cm (3⁄8 in) wide, with a characteristically long, dried flower remnant at the end.[9]

The plant is aromatic, with a spicy scent.[9] The hairs on much of the plant can contribute to a carrion-like odor.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to western North America, including

Oklahoma Panhandle.[10]

It grows in several types of habitat, including mountain forests in

lava beds.[11]

Ecology

The berries are a significant food source for deer[8] and are consumed by other animals.[12]

Uses

Some Native American tribes ate the berries.[13] The Zuni people eat the berries of the pedicellare variety, as well as the leaves with uncooked mutton fat or deer fat.[14] One field guide reports that the berries are somewhat toxic and can have an unpleasant flavor.[15] Eating too many may cause a burning feeling in the throat.[8] One source says they are good when ripe, and can be made into jam or pie fillings.[13]

References

  1. ^ This species was first described and published in Trans. Hort. Soc. vii. (1830) 512. "Plant Name Details for Ribes cereum". IPNI. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  2. ^  Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest 3: 69. 1961. "Plant Name Details for Ribes cereum var. colubrinum". IPNI. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  3. ^  Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 35: 338. 1907. "Plant Name Details for Ribes cereum var. farinosum". IPNI. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  4. ^  Bot. California [W.H.Brewer] 1: 207. 1876. "Plant Name Details for Ribes cereum var. pedicellare". IPNI. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  5. ^  Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 35: 338. 1907. "Plant Name Details for Ribes cereum var. viridescens". IPNI. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  6. ^ "Ribes cereum var. inebrians". University and Jepson Herbaria Home Page. 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  7. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ribes cereum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ^
    OCLC 25708726
    .
  9. ^ a b c Flora of North America, Ribes cereum
  10. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  11. ^ US Forest Service Fire Ecology
  12. ^ "Ribes cereum". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  13. ^
    OCLC 668195076
    .
  14. ^ Stevenson, Matilda Coxe 1915 Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30 (p. 70)
  15. OCLC 61461560
    .

External links

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