Common Name: Alpine currant
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Grossulariaceae
Zone: 2 to 7
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Description: Greenish-yellow
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Insignificant
Attracts: Birds, Butterflies
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Rabbit, Drought, Heavy Shade
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Tolerates full shade. Prune at any time of year (flowers are insignificant) or simply allow plant to grow naturally. Tolerates some drought. Extremely winter hardy.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Ribes alpinum, commonly called alpine currant, is a compact, mound-forming shrub which grows 3-6' tall. Bright green leaves are 3-5 lobed, turning to a dull yellow in fall. Flowers are greenish-yellow and inconspicuous. Dioecious (separate male and female plants). Fruit on female plants is an inedible, scarlet berry. However, most plants of this species which are sold commercially are male clones (males are reportedly immune to rust diseases). Stems are chestnut brown and may exfoliate (peel) as they mature.
The genus name Ribes is derived from the Arabic ribas, the name used for Rheum ribes (Syrian rhubarb), an unrelated, wild rhubarb species. European herbalists possibly connected the two due to the acidic flavor of the flowering stem of R. ribes, or the visually similar panicles of red fruits.
Specific epithet means of the alpine.
'Green Mound' is a dwarf, dense, mound-forming, deciduous shrub which grows 2-3' tall. 'Green Mound' is a male cultivar which obviously bears no fruit.
Problems
In wet, humid conditions, anthracnose, powdery mildew and fungal leaf spot can be troublesome. Currant aphid, scale, currant bud mite and currant fruit fly are potential insect pests in some areas. Currants are an alternate host for white pine blister rust, a usually fatal disease for white pines. Ten states primarily in the eastern United States currently maintain various types of bans on Ribes species plants. Contact your local Extension Service to verify if these plants can be grown in your area. Missouri has no restrictions.
Uses
A tough and hardy dwarf shrub that adapts well to urban conditions. Excellent small hedge. Can also be massed in the shrub border. Also effective in shady woodland areas.