Chapters 4.60
4.60.Skunk Currants
Caleb Ring , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Ring,C . (2022) Fleshy Fruits. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
The Skunk currant is a plant species native to the entirety of Canada as well as a few states in the United States of America (Hinshaw, 2011). It is mainly identified by its smelly odour and bright red berries (Hinshaw, 2011). This plant has been a trademark food source and medical ingredient for the indigenous tribes of Canada for hundreds of years. Though, overshadowed by its scent, the skunk currant’s popularity shrunk due to indigenous food sovereignty being threatened after colonization. This encyclopedia will dive into the skunk currant’s history and physical properties in hopes to bring back a lost part of Canada’s culture.
Taxonomy & Plant Description
Skunk currant’s name translated in nomenclature is Ribes Glandulosum Grauer (Hinshaw, 2011). The genus Ribes also belongs to Red currants, Black currants, Gooseberries, Golden currants and other various species, which all fall under the same family, Grossulariaceae (Hinshaw, 2011). Like other members of the Ribes genus, the Skunk currant is a perennial, deciduous shrub with flowers ranging from white to pink (see Figure 1.1) (Dodds, 2022). Plants of the Ribes genus are separated in two ways: by having branches with either spines (gooseberries) or without spines (currants) (Dodds, 2022). However, where Skunk currants differentiate from other currants are their seemingly spiky/hairy bright red berries and skunk-like odour when bruised (Dodds, 2022).
Indigenous Background
Skunk currant, Skunk Red Currant, Skunkberry, and fetid currant have all been potent nicknames in the past for Ribes glandulosum (Gould, Wood, & Smreciu, 2013), but an important one to note is Mithicimin (Leighton, 1985). Mithicimin is the Cree name for Ribes glandulosum, and historically speaking, the Saskatchewan Woods (SW) Cree (or nihīthawak) were one of the few peoples that discovered the full benefits of the smelly plant (Leighton, 1985). Other indigenous groups, like the Chippewa and the Alberta Cree have also been linked to Skunk currants (Leighton, 1985). The Chippewa would forage for the currants as a source of food. As for the Alberta Cree, they are suspected to have used similar medicinal remedies as the SW Cree (Leighton, 1985). Considering them being close neighbours, trades of knowledge and recipes was almost certain, though there is strong evidence that the SW Cree had a stronger relationship with these plants (Leighton, 1985).
Geographical Origins
Even though Ribes glandulosum is one of the various Ribes species native to North America, the Ribes genus has species native to Europe as well (Fernald, 1910). Species such as Ribes rubrum and Ribes vulgare are native to Europe, therefore, when Norsemen and the English came to North America, they assumed they were of the same species (Fernald, 1910). Only after, in 1907 did botanists notice technical differences in the cousin species of the Ribes genus (Fernald, 1910). The separation of plant species across continents is more common than one might think (Armstrong, 2008). One might ask why? Why are plants of the same genus native to continents separated by massive bodies of water? The answer lies in the theory of continental drift (Armstrong, 2008). Continental drift is a theory that was first hypothesized in 1915 by Alfred Wegener, a German geophysicist who wrote a book called “The Origin of Continents and Oceans” (Armstrong, 2008). In short, Wegener hypothesized that once, there was a supercontinent that he coined as Pangaea (see Figure 3.0) (Armstrong, 2008). Pangaea was said to make up all the Earth’s land but was later divided slowly over millions of years (Armstrong, 2008). Wegener’s hypothesis was later confirmed by other scientists when asking questions about seemingly unsolvable solutions; like why plant species of the same family are across the world from each other (Armstrong, 2008).
Medicinal History
Skunk currants are eaten fresh from the plant, but there are also several different ways to prepare them (Witol et al, 2018). For instance, humans have boiled fruits into jelly and jam for hundreds of years, skunk currants are no exception to that list of fruits (Witol et al, 2018). Furthermore, the plant’s most notable medicinal property is not the fruit but the stem. The stems are known to have medicinal benefits when made into a bitter tea, promoting relaxation and blood flow. However, if made into a decoction, it is said to ease back pain & prevent blood clotting, especially after giving birth (Leighton,1985) & (Witol et al, 2018). The SW Cree undoubtedly discovered and utilized the medicinal properties that Skunk currant offers (Leighton,1985). Skunk currant was part of the SW Cree’s top four medicinal tea plants alongside Giant hyssop, Common labrador tea, & Wild mint (Leighton,1985).
References
1.Armstrong, W. P. (2008, September 21). Cycad Distribution and Continental Drift. Continental Drift & Plant Distribution. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/cntdrift.htm
2.Dodds, Jill S. 2022. Ribes glandulosum Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, State Forest Fire Service & Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 15 pp. https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/ribes-glandulosum-skunk-currant.pdf
3.Fernald, M. L. (1910). Notes on the plants of Wineland the good (Vol. 12). New England Botanical Club.
4.Gould, K., Wood, S., & Smreciu, A. (2013). Common names: Skunk currant, skunk red currant, skunkberry, fetid currant. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://acrre.ualberta.ca/acrre/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2018/04//Ribes_glandulosum.pdf
5.Kaitera, J., & Nuorteva, H. (2006, July 11). Susceptibility of ribes spp. to pine stem rusts in Finland. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0329.2006.00450.x
6.Leighton, A. L. (1985). Wild plant use by the Woods Cree (nihīthawak) of east-central Saskatchewan (Vol. A Diamond Jenness Memorial). National Museums of Canada.
7.Maddy, G. (2020). Ribes glandulosum. Europeana. Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/225/19792190
8.Mullenbach, B. (2011). Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Retrieved from: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/mullenba_brit/about.html
9.Hinshaw, J. (n.d.). United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA plants database. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=RIGL
10.Witol, A., Lemire, M., Dudonné, S., Walshe-Roussel, B., Desjardins, Y., Cuerrier, A., & Harris, C. S. (2018, January 1). Profiling the phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins in skunk currants (Ribes glandulosum) of northern Québec, Canada. Journal of Berry Research. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-berry-research/jbr170282#ref003%20ref004