Common Name: Hudson Bay Currant

General Information

Ribes hudsonianum is an erect to ascending, deciduous shrub growing 50 - 200cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. America - Alaska to Quebec, south to California, Colorado, Iowa and Michigan

Habitat

Stream banks, moist woods, thickets at edges of mountain meadows, treed bogs, swamps, shaded rock outcrops, deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests on moist to wet organic and mineral soils; at elevations from 300 - 3,300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes hudsonianum is very cold hardy, when dormant it can tolerate temperatures falling to around -20°c[].
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[, ]. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position[].
The plant has a strong, sweetish, unpleasant odour[].
White pine blister rust, caused by the pathogen Cronartium ribicola, is a fungal disease that is native to Asia but has spread via human activity to many other regions, where it has become more virulent. It has a complex life-cycle that requires both currants (Ribes species) and white pines (Pinus species of the section Strobus) for the disease to spread. Whilst Ribes species can generally live with the disease (it has an annual life-cycle and infects the leaves only) Pinus species can be devastated by it (it becomes perennial and spreads through the tree). Young pines are far more susceptible than mature trees. In America the growing of certain Ribes species is banned in some areas in order to protect plantations of white pine species.
Ribes hudsonianum is a major host of blister rust[].
Plants in this genus tend to be notably susceptible to honey fungus[].
In early literature, this species is often referred to as Ribes petiolare[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. Mainly used in jams, jellies etc[]. A bitter flavour[]. The black, subglobose fruit is about 5 - 12mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

A decoction of the stem sections, used alone or with wild gooseberry stems (Ribes spp) has been used to treat sickness after childbirth[].
A decoction of the stems and leaves has been used in the treatment of colds, sore throats and stomach complaints[].

The raw fruits have been eaten as a treatment for colds[].

A decoction of leaves and fruits has been used to treat sickness in general[].

A decoction of the roots has been taken as a general panacea to treat all types of sickness and also tuberculosis[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 5 months cold stratification at between 0 to 9°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[, ]. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[, ].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[, ].