Common Name: Fragrant Currant

General Information

Ribes fragrans is a deciduous shrub with ascending stems; it can grow 50 - 70cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is cultivated as a fruit crop in Uzbekistan[], and has potential as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia.

Habitat

Mountain slopes among rocks and on stony taluses to lower parts of the bald mountain zone[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes fragrans 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[].
The whole plant is aromatic with a smell reminiscent of balm[].
This species is closely related to Ribes hudsonianum[].
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[, ]. A gooseberry with a sweet and pleasant flavour[, ]. The black fruit is about 8mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 5 months cold stratification at between 0 to 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, 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[, ].