Common Name:

General Information

Ribes heterotrichum is an unarmed, deciduous shrub; it usually grows 100 - 150cm tall[]. Another report says that it is prostrate[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, southern Siberia, western China (Xinjiang), Pakistan

Habitat

Thickets on rocky mountain slopes, ravines, streamsides; at elevations from 1,200 - 2,500 metres[]. Stony mountain slopes, among stony taluses, and in taluses in the middle and subalpine zones; at elevations from 1,500 - 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus are generally easy to grow, preferring a position in sun (where they fruit best) or moderate shade and succeeding in most moist but well-drained soils of at least moderate fertility[].
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[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweet flavour[]. The berries are unpleasant to the taste, inedible when raw, but can be used for the preparation of fruit drinks and fruit wine[]. The red or red-yellow, globose fruit is 4 - 6mm 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 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[, ].