Herb: Skunk Currant


Latin name: Ribes glandulosum


Synonyms: Ribes prostratum


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Medicinal use of Skunk Currant:

A decoction of the stems, sometimes with wild red raspberry (Rubus idaeus strigosus), has been used to prevent the blood clotting after birth.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
40 cm
(1 foot)

Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Wet woods and rocky slopes.

Edible parts of Skunk Currant:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A blackcurrant, it is juicy and palatable. Another report says that it has the odour of a skunk and the skin has short bristly hairs. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter. The stems have been used to make a bitter tea.

Other uses of the herb:

Can be used as a ground cover plant.

Propagation of Skunk Currant:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 5 months cold stratification at between 0 to 9°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. 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. 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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Wet woods and rocky slopes.

Known hazards of Ribes glandulosum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.