Ribes alpinum
alpine currant
Family GrossulariaceaeAlso called mountain currant
About
Ribes alpinum, the alpine or mountain currant, is a small deciduous currant of central and northern Europe. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants, and the red berries are edible but bland.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Mature size
- About 2 m (6.5 ft) tall and 1.5 m (5 ft) wide.
Field notes
Morphology
A dense, upright shrub to about 2 m tall and 1.5 m wide. Bark starts smooth and pale grey, later flaking and brownish. Palmate leaves are dark green above and paler beneath. Small greenish-yellow flowers sit in clusters at the leaf axils, male clusters being longer; the red, translucent berries resemble redcurrants.
Distribution & habitat
Central and northern Europe from Finland and Norway south to the Alps, Pyrenees and Caucasus, where it keeps to high altitudes in the south. Rare in western Europe; in Britain found at only a few sites in northern England and Wales.
Ecology
Plants are dioecious. Fruits stay on the plant for roughly four weeks and hold around eight seeds each.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Finland, Norway, Georgia, United Kingdom
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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