About
Ribes spicatum is a shrub whose standout trait is its bright red, edible berries. Native to northern Europe and northern Asia, it flowers April–June. Leaves tend to be a duller, darker green than the common redcurrant and are held at a right angle to the stem. Petioles are green and leaf hairs often fall away as the leaf matures.
About the genus
Ribes is a genus of approximately 200 known species of flowering plants, predominantly native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Ribes is the sole genus in the plant family Grossulariaceae. The genus includes species commonly referred to as redcurrants, blackcurrants, whitecurrants, and gooseberries.
Wikipedia contributors, "Ribes", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Ribes
In the garden
Ribes spicatum (family Grossulariaceae), often called the downy currant, is a northern European and Asian shrub in the genus Ribes. It produces flowers in April–June that set the bright red berries prized for eating and cooking. The fruit follows the spring flowering and is typically at its best once the berries have developed full colour. Identification helps separate Ribes spicatum from the familiar redcurrant: its foliage is a duller, darker green, the leaves are held more erect at roughly right angles to the stem, the petioles are green, and any downy hairs on young leaves tend to be lost as they age. These details are useful when sourcing plants or confirming a variety in an existing plot. In the garden it occupies the same roles as other currants — supplying fruit for fresh use or preserves and fitting into mixed fruit borders or informal hedging where a small fruiting shrub is wanted. Because flowers appear in April–June, inspect the branches after flowering to gauge the developing fruit crop, and harvest the berries once they reach full bright-red colour for best flavour.
