Common Name: Flowering Currant

General Information

Ribes sanguineum is an erect, deciduous shrub; it can grow 100 - 400cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is often cultivated as an ornamental, valued especially for its floral display, and is sometimes grown as a hedge.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Western N. America. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.

Habitat

Open forests, rocky slopes, clearings, roadsides, wooded valleys and mountains; at elevations from 1,300 - 2,400 metres[]. Open to wooded, moist to rather dry valleys and foothills[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes sanguineum is very cold hardy, when dormant it can tolerate temperatures falling to around -25°c[].
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[, ]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in full sun, it is also quite tolerant of shade though it does not fruit so well in such a position[]. Tolerates maritime exposure[].
A very ornamental plant[], there are a number of named varieties[]. A plant labelled Ribes sanguineum carneum (which is probably the cultivar 'Carneum Grandiflorum') was seen at Kew with a very good crop of unripe fruit in July 1994[].
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[, , , ]. Palatable, but insipid[]. It does not have a wonderful flavour, but is tolerable raw[]. It can be harvested when still firm in August and when stored carefully will keep until November, by which time the flavour has improved slightly[]. The blue-black, ovoid or globose fruit is about 10mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant tolerates maritime exposure and can be grown as an informal hedge[, ]. It provides reasonable shelter when in leaf but is rather bare and gives little protection in winter[].

Other Uses

A disease-resistant plant, the species is being used in blackcurrant breeding programmes[].

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[, ].