Ribes glandulosum : Skunk Currant

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family)

Genera: Ribes (Currants) (Arabic ribas=name of an unrelated rhubarb-like plant valued for its acid properties.)

Species: glandulosum (with glands; referring to the glandular-bristly fruit)

English Name(s):

Skunk Currant,

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Shrubs of medium size.
• Branches ascending or often trailing.

Leaves:

• Palmate and cordate in shape. Venation also palmate usually with 5 main viens.
• Glabrous (smooth) on both surfaces but ciliate(hairs) on the margins.
• Deeply 5-7 lobed.
• Fresh green in colour.

Reproductive Parts:

• Flowers perfect (bisexual).
• Ovary superior with 2 united carpels (female parts).
• Calyx (petals + sepals) tubed with petals alternating with the stamens (male parts).
• Flower parts 5-merous.
• Petals shorter than the coloured sepals.
• Flowers in erect racemes of 5-8 flowers.

Seed:

• Fruit is a berry.
• Berries 6-8mm in diameter.
• Red and glandular-bristly (with bristle-like glands).

Not to Be Confused With:

• All Ribes (Currant) species look similar. Defining characteristics are: The colour of the berries red or black; Presence or not of bristles on stems or berries; Leaf lobes deep or shallow.
• This is the only Ribes (Currant) species in our area with glandular-bristly berries.

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial.

Seasonal Cycle:

• Leaves deciduous (falling off).

Animal Uses:

• Bees are the main pollinators of all Ribes (Currant) species. They gather both nectar and pollen from these shrubs.
• Birds are the main agents of seed dispersal. Eating the fruit whole and passing the seeds through their system. Tests show that some Ribes (Currant) seeds germinate better after passing through certain bird species.

Habitat:

• Damp woods and thickets.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

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Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

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