Red Currant, Cultivated currant
Ribes rubrum
Family: Grossulariaceae
What it is like
Ribes rubrum is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.2 m (4ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1.2
Where it is found
Damp soils in hedges and woods, avoiding acid soils.
Western Europe, including Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Fruit - raw or cooked. A pleasant acid flavour, it can be eaten out of hand but is more often cooked in pies, jams etc. There are rather a lot of seeds in each fruit.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The fruit is antiscorbutic, aperient, depurative, digestive, diuretic, laxative, refrigerant and sialagogue. The leaves contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide. A concoction of them is used externally to relieve rheumatic symptoms. They are also used in poultices to relieve sprains or reduce the pain of dislocations.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiscorbutic: A plant rich in vitamin C that is used to counteract scurvy.
Aperient: A mild laxative.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Refrigerant: Cools the body.
Sialagogue: Stimulates the secretion of saliva.
Other
Rating: 2
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves. A black dye is obtained from the fruit. The fruit is used cosmetically in face-masks for firming up tired and lifeless skin.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. Plants are quite tolerant of shade, even succeeding on a north-facing wall, though they do not fruit so well in such a position. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 to 6. Hardy to about -20°c. Red currants are often cultivated in temperate zones for their edible fruit, there are some named varieties, including forms with white fruits. Most cultivars are self-fertile and set a good crop on their own. The fruit is produced at the base of one-year old and older wood, plants start to fruit at 3 - 4 years from seed. This is an aggregate species comprising R. spicatum and R. rubrum. There is some confusion in nomenclature with some botanists only recognising 2 species, R. silvestre. (syn R. sativum) and R. spicatum (syn R. rubrum). Plants can harbour a stage of white pine blister rust, so should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is multistemmed with multiple stems from the crown.
Propagating it: 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, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; North Wall. By. East Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The fresh leaves contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide, though details of quantities are not given. This substance is found in several foods, including almonds. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
R. sylvestre. R. vulgare. pro parte