Ribes 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". 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. Blackfoot Indians used blackcurrant root "(Ribes hudsonianum)" for the treatment of kidney diseases and menstrual and menopausal problems. Cree Indians used the fruit of "Ribes glandulosum" as a fertility enhancer to assist women in becoming pregnant. Currants are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. Ribes
Ribes bracteosum a whitish bloom, edible but sometimes unpleasant. Ribes bracteosum Ribes bracteosum, the stink currant, is a species of currant native to western coastal North America from southeastern Alaska to Mendocino County in California. "Ribes bracteosum" is a deciduous shrub, without thorns, growing to 3 m (10 feet) tall. The leaves are 5–20 cm (2-8 inches) across, palmately lobed with 5 or 7 lobes. The flowers are produced in spring after the leaves emerge, on racemes 15–30 cm (6-12 inches) long containing 20-40 flowers; each flower is 5–10 mm (2-4 inches) in diameter, with five white or greenish-tinged petals. The fruit,