Ribes

Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Magnoliophyta
Classis: Magnoliopsida
Ordo: Saxifragales
Familia: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Subgenera: R. subg. Berisia - R. subg. Grossularia - R. subg. Grossularioides - R. subg. Parilla - R. subg. Ribes

Name

Ribes L.

Vernacular names
Internationalization
Dansk: Ribs-slægten
Deutsch: Johannisbeeren
English: Ribes
Français: Groseillier
Polski: Porzeczka
Türkçe: Frenk üzümü

Ribes is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae. Seven subgenera are recognized.

Sometimes Ribes is instead included in the family Saxifragaceae. A few taxonomists place the gooseberry species in a separate genus of Grossularia.

Uses

Food

Ribes includes the currants, including the edible currants (blackcurrant, redcurrant and whitecurrant), gooseberries, and many ornamental plants. The Ribes currant should not be confused with the Zante currant grape. The Jostaberry is a gooseberry/blackcurrant hybrid.

Currants are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera-Butterfly species.

* see List of Lepidoptera that feed on currants.

Medicinal

Blackfoot Indians used blackcurrant root (Ribes hudsonianum) for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems. Cree Indians used the fruit of Ribes glandulosum as a fertility enhancer to assist women in becoming pregnant.

Currant root and seeds are high in gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA). GLA has been clinically verified as an effective treatment for pre-menstrual syndrome. [1]

Cultivation

Many are grown as ornamental plants by the horticulture trade and used in conventional landscapes and native plant habitat gardens.

There are restrictions on growing some Ribes species in some U.S. states, as they are a host for White Pine Blister Rust.
Selected species

* Ribes acerifolium T.J Howell
Maple Currant, Mapleleaf Currant
* Ribes achurjani Mulk.
* Ribes aciculare Sm.
Needle-spined Gooseberry
* Ribes acidum Turcz. ex Pojark.
* Ribes acuminatum Wall. ex G.Don
* Ribes affine Kunth
* Ribes albifolium Ruiz & Pav.
* Ribes albinervium Michx.
* Ribes alpestre Wall. ex Decne.
* Ribes alpestris (Decne) A.Berger
Hedge Gooseberry
* Ribes alpinum L.
Alpine Currant
* Ribes altamirani Jancz.
* Ribes altissimum Turcz. ex Pojark.
Tall Currant
* Ribes amarum McClatchie
Bitter Gooseberry
* Ribes ambiguum Maxim.
* Ribes americanum Mill.
American Blackcurrant, Wild Blackcurrant
* Ribes amictum Greene
* Ribes andicola Jancz.
* Ribes aridum Greene
* Ribes armenum Pojark.
* Ribes ascendens Eastw.
* Ribes atropurpureum C.A.Mey.
* Ribes aucheziense Jancz.
* Ribes aureum Pursh
Buffalo Currant, Clove Currant, Golden Currant
* Ribes austroecuadorense Freire-Fierro
* Ribes bethmontii Jancz.
* Ribes binominatum A.Heller
Ground Gooseberry
* Ribes bracteosum Douglas ex Hook.
Californian Blackcurrant, Stink Currant, Stinky Currant
* Ribes burejense F.Schmidt
* Ribes californicum Hook. & Arn.
Hillside Gooseberry, California Gooseberry, Monterey Gooseberry
* Ribes canthariforme Wiggins
Moreno Currant
* Ribes cereum Douglas
Squaw Currant, Wax Currant, White Field Currant, Whiskey Currant
* Ribes ciliatum Humb. & Bonpl.
* Ribes coloradense Cov.
Colorado Currant
* Ribes cruentum Greene
Shinyleaf Currant, Oregon Currant
* Ribes curvatum Small
Granite Gooseberry
* Ribes cynosbati L.
Prickly Gooseberry, Eastern Prickly Gooseberry, Dogberry, Dog Bramble
* Ribes diacanthum Pall.
Siberian Currant
* Ribes dikuscha Fisch. ex Turcz.
* Ribes distans Jancz.
Scarlet Currant
* Ribes divaricatum Douglas
Spreading Gooseberry, Wild Gooseberry, Coast Gooseberry, Coastal Black Gooseberry, Parish's Gooseberry
* Ribes echinellum (Cov.) Rehder
Miccosukee Gooseberry
* Ribes emodense Rehder
Smooth Rock Currant
* Ribes erythrocarpum Coville & Leiberg
Crater Lake Currant
* Ribes fasciculatum Siebold & Zucc.
Japanese Currant
* Ribes floridum L'Hér..
* Ribes fragrans Pall.
Fragrant-flowered Gooseberry, Sweet-flowered Gooseberry
* Ribes fuscescens (Jancz.) Jancz.
* Ribes futurum Jancz.
* Ribes gardonianum Lem.
* Ribes gayanum (Spach) Steud.
Leather-leaved Gooseberry
* Ribes giraldii Jancz.
* Ribes glabricalycinum L.T.Lu
* Ribes glabrifolium L.T.Lu
* Ribes glaciale Wallich
Glacier Currant
* Ribes glanduliferum A.Heller
* Ribes glandulosum Grauer ex Weber
White currant, Skunk Currant, Fetid Currant
* Ribes glaucescens Eastw.
* Ribes glutinosum Benth.
* Ribes gongshanense T.C.Ku
* Ribes goodingii M.E.Peck
* Ribes gracile Michx.
* Ribes grande Rose
* Ribes grantii A.Heller
* Ribes graveolens Bunge.
* Ribes greeneianum A.Heller
* Ribes griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson
* Ribes grossularia L.
[ Synon. of R.uva-crispa ]
* Ribes grossularioides Maxim.
Japanese Gooseberry, Catberry
* Ribes guangxiense C.Z.Gao
* Ribes hallii Jancz.
* Ribes haoi C.Y.Yang & Han
* Ribes hartwegianum Jancz.
* Ribes hendersonii C.L.Hitchc.
* Ribes henryi Franch.
* Ribes hesperium McClatchie
* Ribes heterotrichum C.A.Mey.
* Ribes himalense Royle ex Decne.
* Ribes hirtellum Michx.
North American Gooseberry, Hairystem Gooseberry, Currant Gooseberry
* Ribes hirticaule J.F.Macbr.
* Ribes hirtum Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.
* Ribes hispidulum (Jancz.) Pojark.
* Ribes hittellianum Eastw.
* Ribes holocericeum Otto & A.Dietr.
* Ribes horridum Rupr.
Thorny Currant
* Ribes houghtonianum Jancz.
* Ribes howellii Greene
* Ribes hudsonianum Richards
Northern Blackcurrant, Hudson Bay Currant, Western Blackcurrant
* Ribes humile Jancz.
* Ribes hunanense Chang Y.Yang & C.J.Qi
* Ribes huronense Rydb.
* Ribes hysterix Eastw.
* Ribes incarnatum Wedd.
* Ribes incertum J.F.Macbr.
* Ribes indecorum Eastw.
White-flowered Currant
* Ribes inebrians Lindl.
* Ribes inerme Rydb.
Whitestem Gooseberry, Klamath Gooseberry
* Ribes integrifolium Phil.
* Ribes intermedium Tausch
* Ribes irriguum Douglas
* Ribes janczewskii Pojark.
* Ribes japonicum Maxim.
Japanese Blackcurrant, Thornless Blackcurrant
* Ribes jessoniae Stapf.
* Ribes jorullense Kunth
* Ribes kansuense K.S.Hao
* Ribes kialanum Jancz.
* Ribes koehneanum Jancz.
* Ribes kolymense (Trautv.) Kom.
* Ribes komarovii Pojark.
* Ribes kunthii Berland.
* Ribes laciniatum Hook.f. & Thomson
* Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir.
Black Gooseberry, Prickly Currant, Black Swamp Gooseberry
* Ribes lasianthum Greene
Alpine Gooseberry
* Ribes latifolium Jancz.
Broadleaf Currant
* Ribes laurifolium Jancz.
Evergreen Currant
* Ribes laxiflorum Pursh
Trailing Blackcurrant
* Ribes lehmannii Jancz.
* Ribes leiobotrys Koehne
* Ribes lentum (M.E.Jones) Coville & Rose
* Ribes leptanthum A.Gray
Trumpet Gooseberry
* Ribes leptosma (Coville) Fedde
* Ribes leptosmum (Coville) Standl.
* Ribes leucoderme A.Heller
* Ribes lindeni Jancz.
* Ribes liouanum Kitag.
* Ribes lioui C.Wang & Chang Y.Yang
* Ribes lobbii A.Gray
Gummy Gooseberry
* Ribes longeracemosum Franch.
Tibet Thornless Blackcurrant
* Ribes longiflorum Nutt.
* Ribes lucarense Phil.
* Ribes luridum Hook. & Thoms.
Purple Currant
* Ribes luteynii Weigend
* Ribes macrobotrys Ruiz & Pav.
* Ribes macrocalyx Hance
* Ribes macrostachyum Jancz.
* Ribes magellanicum Poir.
* Ribes malvaceum Sm.
Chaparral Currant
* Ribes malvifolium Pojark.
* Ribes mandschuricum (Maxim.) Komarov
Manchurian Redcurrant
* Ribes mariposanum Congdon
* Ribes marshallii Greene
Hupa Gooseberry
* Ribes maximowiczianum Kom.
* Ribes maximowiczii Batal.
* Ribes melananthum Boiss. & Hohen.
* Ribes melancholicum Siev. ex Pall.
* Ribes menziesii Pursh
Canyon Gooseberry, Menzies' Gooseberry
* Ribes mescalerium Coville
Mescalero Currant
* Ribes mexicanum Spreng.
* Ribes meyeri Maxim.
Meyer's Currant
* Ribes micranthum Phil.
* Ribes microphyllum Kunth
* Ribes migratorium Suksd.
* Ribes missouriense Nutt.
Missouri Gooseberry
* Ribes mogollonicum Greene
* Ribes molle (A.Gray) Howell
* Ribes montanum Howell
* Ribes monticola K.Koch
* Ribes montigenum McClat.
Gooseberry Currant
* Ribes moupinense Franch.
* Ribes multiflorum Kit.
Manyflower Currant
* Ribes nanophyllum Freire-Fierro & L.Endara
* Ribes neglectum Rose
* Ribes nelsonii Coville & Rose
* Ribes nemorosum Phil.
* Ribes nevadense Kellogg
Sierra Currant, Jaeger's Currant, Nevada Currant
* Ribes nigrum L.
Blackcurrant, European Blackcurrant
* Ribes nitidissima Neger.
* Ribes niveum Lindl.
Snow Gooseberry, Slender-branched Gooseberry
* Ribes non-scriptum (A.Berger) Standl.
* Ribes occidentale Hook. & Arn.
* Ribes odoratissimum M.McMahon ex True
* Ribes odoratum H.L.Wendl.
[ Synon. of R.aureum ]
* Ribes oligacanthum Eastw.
* Ribes orientale Desf.
Siberian Currant
* Ribes orizabae Rose
* Ribes ovalifolium Jancz.
* Ribes ovallei Phil.
* Ribes oxyacanthoides L.
American Mountain Gooseberry, Canadian Gooseberry, Stream Gooseberry, Henderson's Gooseberry, Idaho Gooseberry
* Ribes pachyadenium Hand.-Mazz.
* Ribes pachysandroides Oliv.
* Ribes palczewskii (Jancz.) Pojark.
Palczjewski's Ribes
* Ribes pallidiflorum Pojark.
* Ribes palmeri Vasey & Rose
* Ribes panctatum Ruiz & Pav.
* Ribes parishii A.Heller
* Ribes parviflorum Wedd.
* Ribes parvifolium Phil.
* Ribes parvulum (A.Gray) Rydb.
* Ribes pauciflorum Turcz. ex Pojark.
Few-flowered Ribes
* Ribes pensylvanicum Lam.
* Ribes pentlandii Britton
* Ribes peruvianum Jancz.
* Ribes petiolare Fisch.
* Ribes petraeum Wulf.
Rock Currant, Rock Redcurrant, Bieberstein's Rock Currant
* Ribes pinetorum Greene
Orange Currant
* Ribes polyanthum Phil.
* Ribes polystachyum A.Berger
* Ribes praecox J.F.Macbr.
* Ribes pringlei Rose
* Ribes procumbens Pall.
Trailing Redcurrant
* Ribes propinquum Turcz.
* Ribes pseudofasciculatum K.S.Hao
* Ribes pulchellum Turcz.
* Ribes purpurascens A.Heller
* Ribes purpusii Koehne ex Blank.
* Ribes quercetorum Greene
Rock Gooseberry
* Ribes reclinatum L.
* Ribes recurvatum Michx.
* Ribes reniforme Nutt.
* Ribes repens A.I.Baranov
* Ribes roezlii Reg.
Sierra Gooseberry, Roezl's Gooseberry
* Ribes rosthornii Diels
* Ribes rotundifolium Michx.
Appalachian Gooseberry, Round-leaved Gooseberry
* Ribes rubrisepalum L.T.Lu
* Ribes rubrum L.
Redcurrant
* Ribes rugosum Coville & Rose
* Ribes ruizii Rehder.
* Ribes sachalinense (F.Schmidt) Nakai
* Ribes sanguineum Pursh
Flowering Currant, Redflower Currant, Blood Currant, Sticky Blood Currant, Blackseed Blood Currant, Winter Currant
* Ribes sardoum Martelli
Sardinian Currant
* Ribes sativum Syme
[ Synon. of R.silvestre ]
* Ribes saxatile Pall.
* Ribes saximontanum E.E.Nelson
* Ribes saxosum Hook.
* Ribes scandicum Hedl.
* Ribes scuphamii Eastw.
* Ribes senile (Coville) Standl.
* Ribes sericeum Eastw.
Lucia Gooseberry
* Ribes setchuense Jancz.
* Ribes setosum Lindl.
Missouri Currant
* Ribes silvestre (Lam.) Mert. & Koch
Woodland Currant
* Ribes sinanense F.Maek.
Chinese Gooseberry
* Ribes soulieanum Jancz.
* Ribes spathianum Koehne
* Ribes speciosum Pursh
Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry
* Ribes spicatum Robson
Nordic Redcurrant, Nordic Currant, Downy Currant
* Ribes stanfordii Elmer
* Ribes steinbachiorum Weigend & Binder
* Ribes stenocarpum Maxim.
Narrow-fruited Currant
* Ribes subvestitum Hook. & Arn.
* Ribes sucheziense Jancz.
* Ribes suksdorfii A.Heller
* Ribes takare D.Don
* Ribes tenue Jancz.
* Ribes tenuiflorum Lindl.
* Ribes texense (Coville & A.Berger) Standl.
* Ribes thacherianum (Jeps.) Munz
* Ribes tianquanense S.H.Yu & J.M.Xu
* Ribes tolimense Cuatrec.
* Ribes tortuosum Benth.
* Ribes tricuspe Nakai
* Ribes trifidum Michx.
* Ribes trilobum Meyen.
* Ribes tripartitum Batalin
* Ribes triste Pall.
Northern Redcurrant or Swamp Redcurrant, Wild Redcurrant
* Ribes tularense (Coville) Fedde.
Tulare Gooseberry
* Ribes turbinatum Pojark.
* Ribes uniflorum T.C.Ku
* Ribes urceolatum Tausch
* Ribes ussuriense Jancz.
Korean Blackcurrant
* Ribes utile Jancz.
* Ribes uva-crispa L.
Gooseberry, Wild Gooseberry, European Gooseberry, English Gooseberry
* Ribes valdivianum Phil.
* Ribes valicola Greene ex Rydb.
* Ribes van-fleetianum (A.Berger) Standl.
* Ribes velutinum Greene
Desert Gooseberry, Gooding's Gooseberry
* Ribes viburnifolium A.Gray
Island Gooseberry
* Ribes victoris Greene
Victor's Gooseberry
* Ribes vilmorinii Jancz.
* Ribes villosum Wall. ex Roxb.
* Ribes viscosissimum Pursh
Sticky Currant
* Ribes viscosum Ruiz & Pav.
* Ribes vitifolium Host
* Ribes vulgare Lam.
* Ribes warszewiczii Jancz.
Downy Currant
* Ribes watkinsii Eastw.
* Ribes watsonianum Koehne
Spring Gooseberry
* Ribes weberbaueri Jancz.
* Ribes weddellianum Jancz.
* Ribes wolfii Rothr.
Wolf's Currant
* Ribes xizangense L.T.Lu

References

1. ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1