Ribes rubrum
L. pro parte sense Jancz.
Red currant
(c) Grzegorz Grzejszczak, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Grzegorz Grzejszczak
amama
(c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) Joe MacIndewar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Joe MacIndewar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Joe MacIndewar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves - tea, Twigs - flavouring
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a pleasant acid flavour and can be eaten straight from the bush, though it is more often used cooked in pies and jams. There are rather a lot of seeds in each berry.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
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.
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 to Identify
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.
Nutrition Score: 31/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit raw | 82.8 | 89 | 21 | 1.1 | 70 | 40 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Fruit stewed | 85.3 | 76 | 18 | 0.9 | 60 | 31 | 1.2 | — |
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, 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.
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 between 0 and 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 and grow on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting out in late spring the following year. Take cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10–15cm with a heel, in July or 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
The fruit is antiscorbutic, aperient, depurative, digestive, diuretic, laxative, refrigerant, and sialagogue. The leaves contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide. A concoction of the leaves is used externally to relieve rheumatic symptoms, and they are also applied in poultices to relieve sprains or reduce the pain of dislocations.
Other Uses
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.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Deciduous shrub reaching 1.2 m tall. Flowers April to May with seeds ripening July to August. Self-fertile, bee-pollinated hermaphrodite. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils with good drainage; tolerates mildly acid to basic pH. Thrives in moist soil and adapts to semi-shade or full sun.
Production
Fruit are produced after about 2 years.
Other Information
It is widely cultivated.
Notes
Fruit are rich in Vitamin C. There are about 150 Ribes species.
Names & Synonyms
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
References (50)
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