**Botanical Characteristics**:
– Ribes species are medium shrublike plants.
– They exhibit diversity in flowers and fruit.
– Leaves are palmately lobed or compound, with some species having thorns.
– Flowers have sepals larger than petals, forming a tube or saucer shape.
– The ovary matures into a berry with many seeds.
**Taxonomy and Classification**:
– Ribes is the single genus in the family Grossulariaceae.
– Previously part of Saxifragaceae, it is now sister to Saxifragaceae sensu stricto.
– Generally considered one genus with subgenera like Ribes and Grossularia.
– Subgenera are divided into sections based on characteristics.
– Classifications have seen revisions, with conflicting molecular evidence.
**Cultivation and Usage**:
– Ribes genus includes edible currants like blackcurrant, redcurrant, and white currant.
– Also includes European gooseberry and hybrid varieties.
– Ribes gives name to popular blackcurrant cordial Ribena.
– Includes ornamental plants like R.sanguineum.
– Not to be confused with Zante currants from grapes.
**Ecology and Plant Pathology**:
– Currants are food plants for some Lepidoptera larvae.
– White Pine Blister Rust Resistant Currant Varieties in Michigan.
– Rhode Island’s regulations on White Pine Blister Rust suppression.
– New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture Plant Pest Survey.
– West Virginia’s White Pine Blister Rust Quarantine.
**State Regulations and Educational Resources**:
– Restrictions on Ribes cultivation exist in various U.S. states.
– Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, and other states have specific regulations.
– Educational resources include Maryland University Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others.
– Michigan, New Hampshire, and Ohio have laws and control areas related to Ribes cultivation.
– Educational resources cover topics like growing small fruits, crop profiles, and plant pathology.