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American Black Currant
Ribes americanum
American black currant is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub native to the cooler parts of eastern and central North America, from Alberta to Nova Scotia and south through the Appalachians and Rockies at higher elevation. The black berries are edible but musky, so most people use them cooked into jelly, jam, pie or preserves rather than eating them fresh. Its spring flowers draw native bees and the fruit is a favorite of birds and small mammals. It is a cool-summer plant through and through - its native range follows cooler latitudes and elevation rather than crossing into hot, humid southern lowlands - and, like other currants, it is also an alternate host for white pine blister rust, so several states restrict where it can be planted or sold.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–7
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist · Wet
Vertical layer
Shrub- Soil pH
- 6.1–7.8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 3–6 ft
- Mature spread
- 3–6 ft
- Plant spacing
- 4–8 ft
- Root type
- Fibrous-shallow
- Spread pattern
- Both
Keep exploring
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American Gooseberry
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Corylus americana
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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