''Ribes laxiflorum'' is a species of
currant known by the common names trailing black currant, and spreading currant.
[ It is native to western North America.
]
Description
''Ribes laxiflorum'' is a spreading, trailing shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
usually growing in height. It has been known to take a somewhat vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
-like form in appropriate shady habitat with nearby supports, climbing to in length.[Flora of North America, Ribes laxiflorum Pursh, 1813. Trailing black or spreading currant ]
/ref> It has fuzzy, glandular stems lacking spines and prickles. The hairy, glandular, maple-shaped leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are up to long and deeply divided into several pointed lobes lined with dull teeth. The inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a mostly erect raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of up to eight flowers. The distinctive flower has five greenish, purplish, or red sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s which are often curved back at the tips. At the center is a corolla of five red or pink petals each measuring long, narrow at the base and wider or club-shaped at the tip. Inside the corolla are five red stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s tipped with whitish anthers. The fruit is a purple-black berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
measuring wide which is waxy, hairy, or bristly in texture.[
]
Distribution and habitat
It is native to western North America from Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
south as far as northern California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
;Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
/ref> it has also been found in Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
. Its habitat includes moist mountain forests, open clearings, streambanks, and the borders of mountain roads.
Uses
The berries are eaten locally (variously fresh, boiled, or as preserves
Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread.
There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the method ...
) by Bella Coola, Haisla Haisla may refer to:
* Haisla people, an indigenous people living in Kitamaat, British Columbia, Canada.
* Haisla language, their northern Wakashan language.
* Haisla Nation The Haisla Nation is the Indian Act-mandated band government which nominall ...
, Hanaksiala, Hesquiat, Kwakiutl, Lummi, Makah, Oweekeno
Oweekeno is a First Nations village of the Wuikinuxv located on the north bank of the Wannock River just upstream from its mouth into Rivers Inlet
Rivers Inlet is a fjord in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, i ...
, Skagit, and Tanana peoples.eyewash
Eyewash is a fluid, commonly salineus, used to physically wash the eyes in the case that they may be contaminated by foreign materials or substances.
Eyewashes may be beneficial to those with sensitive eyes and can provide relief to the painful ...
(roots and or branches, by the Bella Coolah).[
Decoctions of: bark to remedy ]tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
(with the roots, by the Skokomish); or for the common cold
The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...
(Skagit): leaves and twigs, as a general tonic (Lummi).[
Woody stems are fashioned into pipe stems (Hesquiat).][
]
References
External links
*
Jepson Manual TreatmentCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7322348
laxiflorum
Plants described in 1813
Flora of Northern America
Flora of Russia
Plants used in Native American cuisine
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine