Ribes species are medium shrub-like plants[6] with marked diversity in flowers and fruit.[7] They have either palmately lobed or compound leaves, and some have thorns.[6] Thesepals of the flowers are larger than the petals, and fuse into a tube of saucer shape.[6] Theovary is inferior, maturing into a berry with many seeds.[6]
First treated on a worldwide basis in 1907,[9] the infrageneric classification has undergone many revisions,[10] and even in the era ofmolecular phylogenetics there has been contradictory evidence.[7] Although sometimes treated as two separate genera,Ribes andGrossularia (Berger 1924),[11] the consensus has been to consider it as a single genus, divided into a number ofsubgenera, the main ones of which are subgenusRibes (currants) and subgenusGrossularia (gooseberries), further subdivided into sections.[10] Janczewski (1907) considered six subgenera and eleven sections.[9] Berger's twelve subgenera based on two distinct genera (seeSenters & Soltis (2003) Table 1) have subsequently been demoted to sections.[8][7] Weigend (2007) elevated a number of sections to produce a taxonomy of seven subgenera;Ribes (sectionsRibes,Heretiera,Berisia)Coreosma,Calobotrya (sectionsCalobotrya,Cerophyllum),Symphocalyx,Grossularioides,Grossularia,Parilla.[12][13]
Taxonomy, according to Berger, modified by Sinnott (1985):[8][7]
Some authors continued to treatHesperia andLobbia as subgenera.[14][7] Early molecular studies suggested that subgenusGrossularia was actually embedded within subgenusRibes.[15] Analysis of combined molecular datasets confirms subgenusGrossularia as amonophyletic group, with two main lineages, sect.Grossularia and anotherclade consisting ofglabrous gooseberies, includingHesperia,Lobbia andRobsonia. Other monophyletic groups identified wereCalobotrya,Parilla,Symphocalyx andBerisia. However, sectionsRibes,Coreosma andHeritiera were not well supported. Consequently, there is insufficient resolution to justify further taxonomic revision.[7]
Ribes is widely distributed through the Northern Hemisphere, and also extending south in the mountainous areas of South America.[7] Species can be found in meadows or near streams.[6]
The genusRibes includes the edible currants:blackcurrant,redcurrant, andwhite currant, as well as the European gooseberry,Ribes uva-crispa, and several hybrid varieties. It should not be confused with the dried currants used in cakes and puddings, which are from theZante currant, a small-fruitedcultivar of the grapeVitis vinifera.Ribes gives its name to the popular blackcurrant cordialRibena.
The genus also includes the group of ornamental plants collectively known as the flowering currants, for instance,R. sanguineum.
Transport ofR. nigrum prohibited throughout the Commonwealth. Other species ofRibes require a permit, with the caveat that permits shall not issue for a list of municipalities that cover most of the Commonwealth.
Michigan
R. nigrum prohibited statewide.[21] Other species ofRibes andGrossularia require a permit in the blister rust control area, which includes the entirety of the Upper Peninsula and the northern and western portions of the Lower Peninsula.[22]
Possession or transport ofR. nigrum requires a permit statewide. Possession or movement of allRibes andGrossularia species is prohibited in certain municipalities in Sussex, Passaic and Morris Counties.Grossularia andRibes other thanR. nigrum otherwise requires only compliance with general regulations on movement of nursery stock.
AllRibes species are prohibited in nine counties of the Adirondack Mountains, and in many townships in the Adirondacks and Catskills.R. nigrum is prohibited throughout the state, except that cultivars known to be immune toCronartium ribicola, the white pine blister rust, may be grown wherever otherRibes species are permitted.
Possession, transport, planting, propagation, sale or offering for sale ofR. nigrum is prohibited. Cultivars known to be immune toCronartium ribicola, the white pine blister rust, are exempt. The law does not prohibit otherRibes species.
Pennsylvania
PennState Extension states:[30] "In 1933, Pennsylvania passed a law that limited growing gooseberries and currants in certain areas; however, the law is not enforced. Therefore, all Ribes can be grown in the state."
R. nigrum, R. aureum, and R. odoratum are prohibited throughout the state. OtherRibes species require permits to transport or plant and are forbidden in some municipalities, or within 900 feet of a stand of five-leaved pines one acre or more in extent or a nursery cultivating five-leaved pines.
Vermont
New England Small Fruit Management Guide[32] asserts that there are "No regulations at present."
A number of species produce edible berries, some of which are categorized as currants andgooseberries.
Blackfoot people used blackcurrant root (Ribes hudsonianum) for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems. TheCree used the fruit ofRibes glandulosum as a fertility enhancer to assist women in becoming pregnant.[35]
European immigrants who settled in North America in the 18th century typically made wine from both red and white currants.[36]
^abcdeTaylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992].Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 42.ISBN0-87842-280-3.OCLC25708726.
^"White Pine Blister Rust".Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Retrieved3 August 2020.
^"Currants and Gooseberries".NE Small Fruit Management Guide. Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 22 June 2015. Retrieved3 August 2020.
^Tilford, Gregory L. (1997).Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing.ISBN978-0-87842-359-0.
^Kalm, Pehr (1772).Travels into North America: containing its natural history, and a circumstantial account of its plantations and agriculture in general, with the civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and several curious and important remarks on various subjects. Translated by Johann Reinhold Forster. London: T. Lowndes. p. 67.ISBN9780665515002.OCLC1083889360.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Weigend, Maximilian; Mohr, Oliver; Motley, Timothy J. (1 August 2002). "Phylogeny and classification of the genusRibes (Grossulariaceae) based on 5S-NTS sequences and morphological and anatomical data".Botanische Jahrbücher.124 (2):163–182.doi:10.1127/0006-8152/2002/0124-0163.
