Practical
Plants

Ribes laxiflorum

White-Flowered Currant

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Ribes
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[10][1][4][9]. Palatable, but not very juicy[8]. The fruit can be dried and stored for later use[6] or made into jelly[9]. The fruit can be up to 10mm long, though it is usually smaller, it is borne in small racemes[8].

Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

A decoction or infusion of the root or branches can be used each day as an eyewash to remove foreign matter from the eyes[9]. A decoction of the leaves and twigs has been used as a general tonic[9]. A decoction of the bark has been used in the treatment of colds[9]. A decoction of the bark and roots has been used as a treatment for tuberculosis[9].

Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
TB
Product or use
Tonic

Environment

Range
Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat
A spreading or decumbent plant, clambering over logs and stumps in moist places in California[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at between 0 and 5°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[3][5]. 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[12][3]. 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[12][7].

Cultivation

Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[2][7]. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position[2]. Hardy to about -20°c[7]. Plants can harbour a stage of 'white pine blister rust', so they should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[7].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2

  4. Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-295-95258-X

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  5. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1

    ↩1↩2

  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  11. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

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  12. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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