Red currant
Ribes rubrum

Family: Grossulariaceae

What it is like

A small bushy shrub. It grows 1.5 m tall. It spreads 1.5-2 m wide. It loses its leaves during the year. The stems are smooth. The leaves have 3-5 lobes. They are 10 cm across. They can be downy underneath. The flowers are green with some red colouring. They can be upright or hang down. The fruit allow light through.

Fruit are rich in Vitamin C. There are about 150 Ribes species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It needs light well-drained soil. It requires full sunlight and shelter from wind. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. In Hobart Botanical gardens as Ribes sativum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andorra, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Central America, Central Asia, China, Denmark, Europe, Falklands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Russia, Scandinavia, Serbia, Siberia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, West Indies

How it is used for food

Fruit can be eaten fresh. They are also used for fruit drinks. They are also used in jams and jellies, puddings, pies, tarts, syrups and sauces. They are also made into wines. The flowers are used for tea. The leaves are also dried and used for tea. The twigs are used as flavouring in pickles.

It is widely cultivated.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves - tea, twigs - flavouring

How it is grown

It can be grown from cuttings of one or two year old wood. It should be cut back to a short single trunk then allowed to develop a sturdy open bush with about 10 main canes. These should be removed and others allowed to regrow about each 6 years.

Fruit are produced after about 2 years.

Its other names

Local names

Aalbes, Aka fusa suguri, Corinto, Dak, Firenk uzumu, Groseilla rouge, Grosella roja, Kastilez, Kinkolia, Kvasnice, Large fruited cherry currants, Nordic currant, Phulanch, Piros ribizli, Ribes rosso, Rips, Ru hong cu li, Vad ribizli, White currant

Synonyms

Grossularia rubra (L.) Scop.; Ribes rubrum var. sativum Rchb.; Ribes sativum (Rchb.) Syme; Ribes spicatum subsp. scandicum Hyl.; Ribes sylvestre (Lam.) Mert. & W. D. J. Koch; Ribes vulgare Lam., nom. illeg.; Ribes vulgare var. macrocarpum Jancz.; Ribes vulgare var. sylvestre Lam.;