Biology: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
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, green leaves are up to 10 centimetres (4 inches) wide, divided into 5–7 lobes lined with dull teeth; the undersurfaces are glandular.[3]
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
It is native to western North America from Alaska and Yukon south as far as northern California and New Mexico;[4] it has also been found in Siberia. Its habitat includes moist mountain forests, clearings,[3] streambanks, and the borders of mountain roads.
Uses
The berries are considered unpalatable raw[3] but are eaten locally (variously fresh, boiled, or as preserves) by Bella Coola, Haisla, Hanaksiala, Hesquiat, Kwakiutl, Lummi, Makah, Oweekeno, Skagit, and Tanana peoples.[5]
Other traditions use R. laxiflorum for an infusion to make an eyewash (roots and or branches, by the Bella Coolah).[5]
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).[5]
Woody stems are fashioned into pipe stems (Hesquiat).[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Flora Americae Septentrionalis; or, a Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America 2:731. 1813–1814 {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Ribes laxiflorum | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = July 20, 2010 }}
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flora of North America, Ribes laxiflorum Pursh, 1813. Trailing black or spreading currant
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 206. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=VLbAAwAAQBAJ.
- ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Dan Moerman. "Search for Ribes laxiflorum". Native American Ethnobotany Database. Dearborn, Michigan: University of Michigan. http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/3376/. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q7322348 entry
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