Redcurrant

The redcurrant or red currant (Ribes rubrum) is a member of the genus Ribes in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions. There are several other similar species natives in Europe, Asia, and North America, also with edible fruit. These include Ribes spicatum (northern Europe and northern Asia), Ribes alpinum (northern Europe), R. schlechtendalii (northeast Europe), R. multiflorum (southeast Europe), R. petraeum (southwest Europe), and R. triste (North America; Newfoundland to Alaska and southward in mountains).

A deciduous shrub with five-lobed leaves spirally arranged on the stems, Ribes rubrum typically reaches heights of 1 to 1.5 meters, but can occasionally reach 2 meters. Unnoticeable yellow-green blooms grow in pendulous racemes that are 4 to 8 centimeters long. The flowers mature into bright red translucent edible berries that have an 8 to 12-millimeter diameter and 3 to 10 berries per raceme. From mid-to-late summer, an established bush can produce 3 - 4 kg of berries. In a 100-gram reference serving, redcurrants (or white) supply 234 kilojoules (56 kilocalories) of food energy and are a rich source of vitamin C, providing 49% of the Daily Value. Vitamin K is the only other essential nutrient in significant content at 10% of DV.