Herb latin name: Ribes diacanthum


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Ribes diacanthum:

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweetish-acid flavour, it can be used for dessert. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
180 cm
(6 feet)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

Stony slopes and rocks. Sandy hilly areas, sandy grasslands and river banks below 1500 metres in N. China.

Propagation of Ribes diacanthum:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 4 - 5 months cold stratification at between 0 to 9°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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Stony slopes and rocks. Sandy hilly areas, sandy grasslands and river banks below 1500 metres in N. China.

Medicinal use of Ribes diacanthum:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes diacanthum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.