Common Name: American Red Currant

General Information

Ribes triste is a low-growing, unarmed deciduous shrub with straggling or prostrate stems; it usually grows around 40cm tall. Rarely, the plant is erect, growing up to 80cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Siberia, Russian Far East, China, Japan, Korea; N. America - Alaska to Newfoundland, south to Oregon, Illinois, Maryland.

Habitat

Bogs and cool wet woods[, ]. Bogs, wet coniferous woods, coniferous hardwoods, stream banks, seepage areas, montane rock slides; at elevations up to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes triste is very cold hardy, when dormant it can tolerate temperatures falling to around -20°c[].
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[, ]. Plants are quite tolerant of shade though do not fruit so well in such a position[].
This species is closely related to Ribes rubrum[].
White pine blister rust, caused by the pathogen Cronartium ribicola, is a fungal disease that is native to Asia but has spread via human activity to many other regions, where it has become more virulent. It has a complex life-cycle that requires both currants (Ribes species) and white pines (Pinus species of the section Strobus) for the disease to spread. Whilst Ribes species can generally live with the disease (it has an annual life-cycle and infects the leaves only) Pinus species can be devastated by it (it becomes perennial and spreads through the tree). Young pines are far more susceptible than mature trees. In America the growing of certain Ribes species is banned in some areas in order to protect plantations of white pine species.
Plants in this genus tend to be notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. Very succulent[]. A rather tart flavour[, ], it is usually cooked in pies, preserves etc[]. The fruit can also be dried for later use[]. The fruit is similar to the garden red currant[] and contains rather a lot of seeds[]. The red, ovoid fruit is about 6 - 10mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

A decoction of the stems, without the bark, has been used as a wash for sore eyes[].

A decoction of the root and stem has been used in the treatment of gravel[].

A compound decoction of the stems has been used as an emmenagogue[].

Other Uses

The plant may be used for selection and hybridization with cultivated varieties of red currants for the breeding of cold -resistant varieties for northern regions[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at between 0 and 5°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[, ]. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[, ].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[, ].