Ribes spicatum
Unripe fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Species:
R. spicatum
Binomial name
Ribes spicatum
E.Robson[1]
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Ribes heteromorphum Topa
    • Ribes lithuanicum Jancz.
    • Ribes liouanum Kitag.
    • Ribes pubescens (Hartm.) Hedl.
    • Ribes scandicum Hedl.
    • Ribes schlechtendalii Lange
    • Ribes spicatum var. pubescens (Hartm.) Cinovskis
    • Ribes palczewskii (Jancz.) Pojark.

Ribes spicatum, the downy currant or Nordic currant, is a species in the genus Ribes, native to northern Europe and northern Asia.[2] Its bright red berries are edible and quite good‑tasting. It can be differentiated from the more common redcurrant (Ribes rubrum) not so much by its leaf hairs, as these tend to fall off as the leaf ages, but by other characteristics: the leaves of R. spicatum are a duller and darker green than R. rubrum with its paler yellowish‑green leaves. R. spicatum holds its leaves at a right angle to the stem, whereas R. rubrum leaves are less erect, markedly distinguishing the overall form of the bushes. R. spicatum has green petioles, but R. rubrum petioles are more orange‑ish.[3]

Subspecies

The following subspecies is currently accepted:[2]

References

  1. ^ W.Withering, Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3, 2: 265 (1796)
  2. ^ a b c "Ribes spicatum E.Robson". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ^ Richards, A.J. (31 January 2015). "Ribes spicatum Robson Downy Currant. Species Account" (PDF). bsbi.org. Botanical Society of the British Isles. Retrieved 19 September 2020. With practice, bushes can be accurately identified from a distance of 10 m or more, even in mixed populations.
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