This species is sometimes treated as a var of Ribes petraeum (as Ribes petraeum altissimum (Turcz. Ex Pojark.) Jancz.)

Common Name: Wild Blackcurrant

General Information

Ribes altissimum is an unarmed, deciduous shrub with straight, ascending stems; it usually grows 200 - 300cm tall but is sometimes smaller[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is sometimes cultivated as a fruit crop in southern Siberia[] and is also occasionally grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Siberia, northern Mongolia, northwest China (Xinjiang)

Habitat

Taluses composed of large stones in the forest zone, often into the bald mountain zone[]. Coniferous or mixed forests and forest margins on mountain slopes; at elevations up to 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.40 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes altissimum 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[, ]. Does well in shade though does not fruit so well in such a position[].
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 are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. Small with a thick skin and a pleasant acid taste[]. The fruit is abundantly produced in the wild[]. The purplish-black, subglobose fruit is about 5 - 7mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The plant is of interest for use in breeding programmes for the blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) and the redcurrant (Ribes rubrum), being valued for frost tolerance[, ].

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 0 - 9°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, 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[, ].