English

currant, prickly

Scientific Name

Ribes lacustre?

Arapaho

hiwoxuuyeino’

Translation of the Arapaho

‘elk rose’

Prickly Currant and the Arapaho

Food: fruit. Toll identifies this plant as “mountain rose” and says that the berries were eaten. The Cheyenne also had a plant named “elk berry," which was Ribes lacustre. I have not had the opportunity to confirm this identity in the field, but Ribes lacustre stems are extremely thorny, like the rose, the plant has pink, rose-like flowers, and it grows in the montane zone, so Toll’s use of the term “mountain rose” very likely applies to this species, with the Cheyenne correspondance giving added weight.

Ribes lacustre