Herb: Wetern Blackcurrant


Latin name: Ribes petiolare


Synonyms: Ribes dikuscha, Ribes hudsonianum petiolare


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Edible parts of Wetern Blackcurrant:

Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is large and abundantly produced. Highly esteemed. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter. Unlike most blackcurrants, it is not aromatic.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

River islands, river alluvium and stony banks, riverain deciduous forest strips and edges in N. Asia. Moist places, 900 - 1500 metres from California to Washington and Montana.

Propagation of Wetern Blackcurrant:

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:

River islands, river alluvium and stony banks, riverain deciduous forest strips and edges in N. Asia. Moist places, 900 - 1500 metres from California to Washington and Montana.

Medicinal use of Wetern Blackcurrant:

None known

Known hazards of Ribes petiolare:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.