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Ribes alpinum - L.

Alpine Currant

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Grossulariaceae	Genus	Ribes
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, Italy, Montenegro, Bulgaria
Habitat	Cliffs and rocky woods on limestone[17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 1.2m by 1m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Ground Cover; Hedge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[105]. Sweet and not very acid, but less palatable than R. rubrum, the red currant[2]. An insipid fruit[100], it is not palatable[1, 11]. The only fruits we have eaten have been good size red currants with a fair flavour[K]. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter and can be freely borne when male and female plants are grown[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover; Hedge.

The cultivar 'Green Mound' makes a good dwarf hedge[182]. Plants can be grown as a tall ground cover when spaced about 2 metres apart each way[208]. The cultivars 'Aureum' and 'Pumilum' are smaller growing and should be spaced about 1 metre apart[208].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[11, 200]. This species succeeds on poor soils[11]. Does well in shade though it does not fruit so well in such a position[11]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[184]. A number of named varieties have been developed for their ornamental value. The flowers are sweetly fragrant[208]. Plants are dioecious. At least one male plant must be grown in the vicinity of up to 5 females if fruit is required. Plants can harbour a stage of white pine blister rust, so should not be grown in the vicinity of pine trees[155]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at 0 - 9°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[113, 164]. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[113]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[78, 200].

Cultivars

'Aureum'

A dwarf spreading female form to about 1 metre tall, the leaves are bright yellow at first, becoming green-yellow later[200]. It can be grown as a ground cover when spaced about 1 metre apart each way[208].

'Green Mound'

This cultivar makes a good dwarf hedge[182].

'Pumilum'

A dwarf spreading female form only 1 metre tall[200], it can be grown as a ground cover when spaced about 1 metre apart each way[208]. Some flowers have fertile stamens[11].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[155] Arnberger. L. P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments Ass. 1968
A lovely little pocket guide to wild plants in the southern Rockies of America.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Ribes alpinum

TL Tue Jun 22 07:48:05 2004

This information was WAY MORE than I wanted to know about my Alpine Currant plant! I'll be taking 'Cuttings' from now on...

Ribes alpinum

sandra murillo Sat May 17 2008

how to tell which ones are male or female ? s-murillo@att.net

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