Wild Black Currant | Ribes americanum
Common Name | Wild Black Currant
Botanical Name | Ribes americanum
Native of Eastern U.S.

Ribes americanum, or the Wild Black Currant, is a flowering shrub that is native to most of North America. With a mature height of three to six feet tall, it has erect branches lacking spines, on multiple stems. The simple, three to five lobed alternate leaves are one to three inches wide and gland-dotted beneath. It is both a pollinator plant and also a host plant for beneficial insects.

Black Currant is valued for its foliage and its fragrant yellow flowers which bloom in May. Black berries appear in late summer. Hummingbirds feed on nectar and other birds eat the berries. The leaves are food for the caterpillars of the Green Comma Butterfly ( Polygonia faunas) and the larvae of the Currant Fruit Fly ( Euphantra canadensis), and a variety of wildlife, including birds, squirrels, and chipmunks.