Herb latin name: Ribes mandschuricum


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Ribes mandschuricum:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The red fruit is about 9mm in diameter. Overall yields on plants at Kew in July 1994 were high, but the fruits were very small and the flavour of the not fully-ripe fruit was slightly bitter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
April
to June

Habitat of the herb:

Solitary in forest edges and clearings in mixed forests. Forms thickets in rocky gorges in the shade of rocks.

Propagation of Ribes mandschuricum:

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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Solitary in forest edges and clearings in mixed forests. Forms thickets in rocky gorges in the shade of rocks.

Medicinal use of Ribes mandschuricum:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes mandschuricum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.