Common Name: Prickly Blackcurrant

General Information

Ribes lacustre is a spiny, deciduous shrub with usually erect stems when growing in a sunny position, but often becoming spreading or prostrate when in the shade and then rooting when they touch the ground; it can grow 100 - 200cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

Skin contact with the spines can cause an allergic reaction in some people[].

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. America - Alaska to Newfoundland, south to California, Colorado, Indiana and Virginia

Habitat

Moist woods, conifer swamps, stream banks, dry forest slopes, subalpine ridges, krummholtz; at elevations up to 3,400 metres[]. Cold damp woods[]. Swamps and wet woods[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes lacustre 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[].
Although this plant has spines, it belongs to the blackcurrant section of the genus[].
Plants do not withstand even low-severity fires. They regenerate in the wild by means of seed that was in the soil and was encouraged to germinate by the fire[].
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.
Plants in this genus tend to be notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. Tart and very juicy[]. The fully ripe fruit has an agreeable flavour[]. When crushed the fruit has a foul odour[] but when eaten by the handful the odour is inoffensive (this sounds a bit strange!) and when cooked they make a good sauce[]. Palatable, but insipid[]. The fruit can also be dried for later use or used to make jams and preserves[]. The red, becoming black or dark purple, ellipsoid fruit is usually 4 - 8mm in diameter, exceptionally to 14mm, and is covered with weak gland-tipped bristles[, , ].

Medicinal

The leaves or the bark can be chewed and then placed on sores caused by the prickles of this plant[].

A decoction of the bark has been used as a wash for sore eyes[]. The decoction has also been taken by women during labour to ease the birth[].

A decoction of the root can be taken several times a day as a treatment for constipation[].

A decoction of the twigs has been taken in the treatment of general body aches[]. A decoction of dried branches has been used in the treatment of stomach complaints, diarrhoea and colds[].

Other Uses

The roots have been boiled with cedar (Juniperus spp, Thuja sp.) and wild rose (Rosa spp) roots, then pounded and woven into rope[].

The sharp thorns have been used as probes for boils, for removing splinters and for tattooing[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 6 months cold stratification at about 0°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[, ].