Flowering currant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flowering currant |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Ribes
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| Species: |
sanguineum
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Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to western United States and Canada (British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California), but widely cultivated and naturalized throughout temperate Europe and Australasia.
Contents
Description
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall and broad.
The bark is dark brownish-grey with prominent paler brown lenticels.
The leaves are 2–7 cm (1–3 in) long and broad, palmately lobed with five lobes; when young in spring, they have a strong resinous scent.
The flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as the leaves emerge, on dangling racemes 3–7 cm (1–3 in) long of 5–30 flowers; each flower is 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) in diameter, with five red or pink petals.
The fruit is a dark purple oval berry about 1 cm (0.5 in) long, edible but with an insipid taste.
The Latin specific epithet sanguineum means “blood-red”
Varieties
| Image | Subspecies | Description | Distribution |
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Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum | Racemes with 15-40 pendant flowers, sepals pink to white. | Oregon and California south to Santa Barbara County, 0-2300 m |
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Ribes sanguineum var. sanguineum | Racemes with 5-15(-20) erect to stiffly spreading flowers, sepals red. | California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, 1300-2400 m |
Ecology
The species is a host to white pine blister rust.'
Cultivation
Ribes sanguineum was introduced into cultivation by 19th century Scottish botanist David Douglas. It and its varieties and cultivars are popular garden shrubs, valued for their brightly colored and scented flowers in early spring, and birds and habitat support.
Numerous cultivars have been selected with flowers ranging from white to dark red. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit:-
- 'Koja'
- 'Poky's Pink'
- White Icicle = 'Ubric'
Gallery
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Habit
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Fruits
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Spring buds on R. sanguineum var. glutinosum
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Bumblebee on flowers
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See also
In Spanish: Ribes sanguineum para niños
