Which currant and gooseberry (Ribes) species are the best alternate hosts for white pine blister rust?
There are dozens of species of currant and gooseberry (Ribes sp.) Some are more susceptible to infection by white pine blister rust than others. Therefore, recognizing Ribes by species and understanding their susceptibility to infection is useful in assessing the hazard of white pine blister rust infection to populations of white pines. Currant and gooseberry abundance and distribution are extremely variable. Consequently, this question can not be address in a universal way. Some great regional resources exist to find out more specifics.
