Wild Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Flowering shrub with erect branches on multiple stems. Lobed alternating leaves are one to three inches wide. This bush is a pollinator plant and a host plant for beneficial insects.

People enjoy this bush for its foliage and fragrant yellow flowers.  Blooms appear in May and small lack berries come in late summer. Hummingbirds enjoy the nectar, while other birds eat the berries and insects. The Green Comma Butterfly, Currant Fruit Fly larvae, and various other wildlife, including squirrels, and chipmunks, enjoy this bush.

Plant in the open woods, thickets, marshy sites, or on stream banks.

Do not plant near White Pines. This plant can host White Pine Blister Rust.

Growth Rate: Rapid (10-15" / year)

Soils: Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture: Moist

Shade Tolerance: Sun, Shade, Part Shade

Mature Height: 3-6 ft.

Deer Damage Potential: Low