Ribes maximowiczii

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

This red currant is very palatable and can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit is approximately 1cm in diameter.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. In central China it grows in mountain valleys between 2,50o-3,000 m above sea level.

Asia, China,

How to Identify

A shrub. It grows 2-3 m tall. The branches are stout and do not have thorns. The leaves are oval and 6-10 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. The fruit are red or can be tinged with yellow. They can be 1 cm across.

How to Grow

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. Hardy to about -20°c. This species is closely related to R. luridum. Plants can harbour a stage of 'white pine blister rust', so they should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. The sub-species R. maximowiczii floribundum (synonym R. jessoniae) has longer racemes, more flowers and consequently more fruit. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months of cold stratification at 0–5°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Under normal storage conditions, seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, grow on in a cold frame for their first winter, then plant out in late spring the following year. Take cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, in 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, can be taken November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

None known.

Ribes maximowiczii is a species of Ribes found in China, Japan, Korea, and Russia at elevations of 900–2700 meters. It is a dioecious shrub.

Notes

There are about 150 Ribes species.

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