Ribes

For the commune of the Ardèche in southern France, see Ribes, Ardèche .

R. sativum Syme whitecurrant
R. rubrum L. redcurrant
R. nigrum L. blackcurrant
R. grossularia L. Eurasian gooseberry
R. hirtellum North American gooseberry
R. sanguineum Flowering currant
R. triste Northern red currant
R. echinellum Miccosukee Gooseberry

and about 150 others

The genus Ribes of flowering plants is the only one placed in the family Grossulariaceae.

Ribes includes the currants, including the edible blackcurrant, redcurrant and whitecurrant and many ornamental species, also the gooseberries. Currants are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Spinach and Currant Pug.

They should not to be confused with the currant, which is a kind of dried grape.

Seven subgenera are recognised. A few taxonomists place the gooseberries in a separate genus, Grossularia, but as they can be hybridised with blackcurrants (the result is called a Jostaberry), this seems inappropriate.

External link

• Entry on Ribes at Mark Rieger's UGa fruit crops site