VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Ribes lacustre | Bristly Black Currant 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Bristly black currant berries are eaten by rodents, bears, and birds
[38].  In southwestern Alberta grizzly bears feed on bristly black
currant berries in late summer and early autumn [31].  Elk, mule deer,
white-tailed deer, and mountain goats eat bristly black currant foliage
[11,18,55,58,71].  In Montana bristly black currant was 1 percent of elk
diet in early summer and 3 percent in late summer [18].


PALATABILITY : 
Bristly black currant browse is moderately palatable to livestock, elk,
and deer [17,38].  The berries are edible but somewhat disagreeable
tasting [35,38,59].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Bristly black currant berries collected in the summer in northern
Ontario consisted of 79.68 percent moisture, 20 percent dry matter, 0.28
percent fat, 1.46 percent protein, and 5.66 percent soluble carbohydrate
based on fresh fruit weight.  Fresh bristly black currant fruit contains
slightly more than 30 kilocalories per 100 grams [69].

Nutritional values of bristly black currant berries collected in late
summer in southeastern Washington, based on dry weight, were 2.94 percent
protein, 4.09 percent lipid, 3.96 percent neutral detergent fiber, 4.56
percent ash, 0.282 percent calcium, 0.066 percent magnesium, 0.17
percent phosphorus, and 1.887 percent potassium [52].

Norton and others [46] analyzed the nutritional value of dried bristly
black currant berries stored for 1 year.  Traditional Native American
drying and storing methods were used.  One gram dry weight contained on
average 3.19 milligrams calcium, 0.05 milligram iron, 0.94 milligram
magnesium, 0.02 milligram zinc, and 3.33 milligrams ascorbic acid [46].



COVER VALUE : 
In Wyoming, bristly black currant is considered poor cover for elk and
pronghorn and fair cover for mule deer and white-tailed deer.  It is good
cover for upland game birds, small nongame birds, and small mammals [17].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest ate bristly black currant
berries in historic times [46].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Bristly black currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust
(Cronartium ribicola) which infests five-needled pines.  Because of its
association with the rust, bristly black currant has been a target of
various eradication studies.  Bristly black currant is highly resistant
to chemical injury [48].  Efforts to eradicate Ribes spp. have been
unsuccessful and have not resulted in decreased rust infection.  Only a
few Ribes bushes per acre are sufficient to perpetuate blister rust [29]. 

Although bristly black currant establishes on scarified ground after
tree harvest, it does not impede conifer seedling establishment [61].

Grazing by wild ungulates prevents development of bristly black currant
in clearcuts.  Eleven years after clearcutting, burned and unburned
grazed sites averaged 0.3 percent cover bristly black currant.  Ungrazed
burned clearcuts averaged 4.6 percent cover and ungrazed unburned
clearcuts averaged 9.8 percent cover [19].

Related categories for Species: Ribes lacustre | Bristly Black Currant