Ribes () is a genus of approximately 200 known species of flowering plants, predominantly native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Ribes is the sole genus in the plant family Grossulariaceae. The genus includes species commonly referred to as redcurrants, blackcurrants, whitecurrants, and gooseberries. Several species are cultivated both for their edible fruit and as ornamental plants in horticulture. Ribes are the main alternate host for white pine blister rust, a fungal pathogen impacting five-needle pines.
Description
Ribes species are medium shrub-like plants with marked diversity in flowers and fruit. They have either palmately lobed or compound leaves, and some have thorns. and are borne on racemes. Flower color can range from green to yellow or red depending on the species. The larvae of the moth species Archips argyrospilus, Papaiema nebris, Itame ribearia, and Nematocampa limbata are also associated with Ribes herbivory. Specifically winter moths and currant clearwing moths are known pests of currant species within agricultural settings.
Cultivation
The genus Ribes includes the edible currants: blackcurrant, redcurrant, and white currant, as well as the European gooseberry, Ribes uva-crispa, and several hybrid varieties. It should not be confused with the dried currants used in cakes and puddings, which are from the Zante currant, a small-fruited cultivar of the grape Vitis vinifera. Ribes gives its name to the popular blackcurrant cordial Ribena.
The genus also includes the group of ornamental plants collectively known as the flowering currants, for instance, R. sanguineum.
White pine blister rust
Ribes species are a telial stage host for the white pine blister rust fungus Cronartium ribicola. Infected Ribes individuals display yellow spotting on their leaves that appear orange and raised on the abaxial leaf surface. Infection occurs when wind-borne C. ribicola spores from Ribes individuals make contact with the needles of a five-needled pine.
Most species of wild and cultivated Ribes species have demonstrated R-gene and multigenetic resistance to white pine blister rust, which are the two dominant forms of genetic disease resistance in plants. The species R. nigrum and R. hudsonianum var. petiolare are particularly vulnerable to white pine blister rust infection.
United States
The Fungal "War" on Berries
In the early 1900s, an invasive fungal disease called white pine blister rust began decimating American forests. The disease requires two hosts to complete its life cycle: five-needle white pine trees and plants in the Ribes genus (currants and gooseberries). While the fungus barely hurts the berry bushes, it is fatal to white pines. Because white pine lumber was a multi-billion dollar foundational industry for U.S. housing and shipping, the federal government chose the trees over the berries. In 1911 Congress passed a law outlawing the commercial cultivation and propagation of gooseberries and currants. The government hired thousands of workers to march through American forests and farms, physically pulling up and destroying millions of wild and cultivated Ribes bushes. The federal ban was finally lifted in 1966 after disease-resistant berry varieties were successfully bred. However, the damage to the fruit's popularity was already permanent. Because two to three generations of Americans grew up without ever seeing, smelling, or tasting a fresh currant or gooseberry, the fruits vanished from cookbooks, recipes, and home gardens. While in Europe, "purple-flavored" candies, sodas, and juices are almost universally flavored like blackcurrant (such as the famous drink Ribena), in the United States, chemical flavorists filled that blank space with artificial grape flavor instead.
There are restrictions on growing some Ribes species in some U.S. states, as they are the main alternate host for white pine blister rust.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Restrictions on cultivation of Ribes in the United States:
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! State !! Restrictions
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| Connecticut || No longer restricted
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| Delaware || R. aureum and R. nigrum prohibited entirely. Shipment, transport, or propagation of all other Ribes species require a permit.
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| Maine || Planting or possession of R. nigrum prohibited statewide. All other Ribes species prohibited in certain counties and towns.
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| Maryland || No restrictions found; state agricultural extension service provides advice on currant and gooseberry culture.
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| Massachusetts || Transport of R. nigrum prohibited throughout the Commonwealth. Other species of Ribes require a permit, with the caveat that permits shall not issue for a list of municipalities that cover most of the Commonwealth.
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| Michigan || R. nigrum prohibited statewide. Other species of Ribes and Grossularia require a permit in the blister rust control area, which includes the entirety of the Upper Peninsula and the northern and western portions of the Lower Peninsula.
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| New Hampshire || All Ribes species prohibited without a permit. Permits are sometimes issued for rust-resistant cultivars.
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| New Jersey || Possession or transport of R. nigrum requires a permit statewide. Possession or movement of all Ribes and Grossularia species is prohibited in certain municipalities in Sussex, Passaic and Morris Counties. Grossularia and Ribes other than R. nigrum otherwise requires only compliance with general regulations on movement of nursery stock.
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| New York || All Ribes species are prohibited in nine counties of the Adirondack Mountains, and in many townships in the Adirondacks and Catskills. R. nigrum is prohibited throughout the state, except that cultivars known to be immune to Cronartium ribicola, the white pine blister rust, may be grown wherever other Ribes species are permitted.
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| North Carolina || All Ribes species prohibited. The North Carolina Forest Service maintains an active eradication program for Ribes in the western part of the state.
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| Ohio || Possession, transport, planting, propagation, sale or offering for sale of R. nigrum is prohibited. Cultivars known to be immune to Cronartium ribicola, the white pine blister rust, are exempt. The law does not prohibit other Ribes species.
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| Pennsylvania || PennState Extension states: "In 1933, Pennsylvania passed a law that limited growing gooseberries and currants in certain areas; however, the law is not enforced. Therefore, all Ribes can be grown in the state."
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| Rhode Island || R. nigrum, R. aureum, and R. odoratum are prohibited throughout the state. Other Ribes species require permits to transport or plant and are forbidden in some municipalities, or within 900 feet of a stand of five-leaved pines one acre or more in extent or a nursery cultivating five-leaved pines.
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| Vermont || New England Small Fruit Management Guide asserts that there are "No regulations at present."
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| Virginia || R. nigrum plants may not be moved to any destination in Virginia.
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| West Virginia || R. nigrum plants may not be moved to any destination in West Virginia. Other Ribes species are prohibited in 23 counties.
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Uses
A number of species produce edible berries, some of which are categorized as currants and gooseberries.
Blackfoot people used blackcurrant root (Ribes hudsonianum) for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems. The Cree used the fruit of Ribes glandulosum as a fertility enhancer to assist women in becoming pregnant.
European immigrants who settled in North America in the 18th century typically made wine from both red and white currants.
References
Bibliography
Books and theses
- , in
Articles
Websites
- Entry on Ribes at Mark Rieger's UGa fruit crops site