European Black Currant

Black currant is edible and is used for making desserts, jams and cakes.

Erect aromatic shrub, up to 2 m tall. Young branches pubescent and resinous glandular. Leaves 2.5-10.5 cm long, 2.5-12 cm broad, base deeply cordate, almost glabrous, 2-5-lobed, coarsely inciso-crenate, basal nerves 3-5, petioles l.5-7 cm long, pubescent and resinous glandular. Racemes few flowered, pubescent, with a tuft of leaves at the base. Bracts longer than the petals, 2-3 mm long. Flowers bisexual, greenish yellow, 10-11 mm long, calyx tube 2 mm long, lobes 2 mm long, oblong, obtuse. Petals spathulate, 1 mm long. Stamens 1.5 mm long. Style divided nearly to the middle. Berries black, strongly aromatic, 1 cm in diameter.

Shrubs 1-2 m tall. Branchlets pubescent when young, glabrescent. Buds brown or yellowish brown, oblong-ovoid to ellipsoid, (3-)4-7 mm, pubescent, apex acute. Petiole 1-4 cm, pubescent, rarely sparsely glandular, sometimes plumose hairy near base; leaf blade suborbicular, 4-9 × 4.5-11 cm, abaxially pubescent and yellow glandular, adaxially puberulent when young, glabrescent, base cordate; lobes 3-5, broadly triangular, margin irregularly coarsely sharply serrate, apex acute; terminal lobe somewhat longer than lateral ones. Racemes arching or nodding, 3-5(-8) cm, 4-12-flowered; rachis and pedicels pubescent, often sparsely yellow glandular; bracts lanceolate or ovate, 1-2 mm, pubescent. Fowers bisexual, 5-7 mm in diam.; pedicel 2-5 mm. Calyx yellowish green to pinkish, pubescent and yellow glandular; tube subcampanulate, 1.5-2.5 mm; lobes spreading or reflexed, ligulate, 3-4 mm. Petals ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2-3 mm. Stamens subequaling petals; anthers ovoid, apex with nectary. Ovary sparsely pubescent and glandular. Style not equaling stamens, 2-lobed, rarely subentire. Fruit black, subglobose, 0.8-1(-1.4) cm, sparsely glandular. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.

Distribution: Himalayas from 2300-4300 m. alt. s.m. N. Europe and N. Asia Cultivated and widely naturalized.

Fl. Per.: June July.

Naturalized in coniferous or mixed forests on slopes, moist valleys, ditch banks. Heilongjiang, NE Nei Mongol, N Xinjiang [native to Europe].

Botrycarpum nigrum (Linnaeus) A. Richard; Grossularia nigra (Linnaeus) Ruprecht; Ribes cyathiforme Pojarkova; R. pauciflorum Turczaninow ex Ledebour.