Ribes lacustre
| Ribes lacustre | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ribes lacustre (common name: prickly blackcurrant)
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[1][2]. 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, July/August in a frame[3][1].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[3][4].
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[5][4]. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position[5].
Hardy to about -20°c[4].
Although this plant has spines, it belongs to the blackcurrant section of the genus[6].
Plants can harbour a stage of 'white pine blister rust', so they should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees[7]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[4].
Range: N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska, south to Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and California.
Habitat: Cold damp woods[8]. Swamps and wet woods[9].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[10][11][12][6][13]. Tart and very juicy[14]. The fully ripe fruit has an agreeable flavour[15]. When crushed the fruit has a foul odour[8] but when eaten by the handful the odour is inoffensive (this sounds a bit strange!) and when cooked they make a good sauce[14]. The fruit can also be dried for later use or used to make jams and preserves[13]. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter[4] and is covered with weak gland-tipped bristles[9].
Medicinal: The leaves or the bark can be chewed and then placed on sores caused by the prickles of this plant[13].
A decoction of the bark has been used as a wash for sore eyes[13]. The decoction has also been taken by women during labour to ease the birth[13].
A decoction of the root can be taken several times a day as a treatment for constipation[13].
A decoction of the twigs has been taken in the treatment of general body aches[13]. A decoction of dried branches has been used in the treatment of stomach complaints, diarrhoea and colds[13].
Usage: The roots have been boiled with cedar (Juniperus spp, Thuja sp.) and wild rose (Rosa spp) roots, then pounded and woven into rope[13].
The sharp thorns have been used as probes for boils, for removing splinters and for tattooing[13].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Skin contact with the spines can cause an allergic reaction in some people[6].
Also Known As: R. oxyacanthoides lacustris. Pers.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.