Ribes alpinum
| Ribes alpinum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ribes alpinum (common name: alpine currant)
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[1][2]. 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[1].
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[3][4].
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[5][4]. This species succeeds on poor soils[5]. Does well in shade though it does not fruit so well in such a position[5].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[6].
A number of named varieties have been developed for their ornamental value.
The flowers are sweetly fragrant[7].
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[8]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[4].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, Italy, Montenegro, Bulgaria
Habitat: Cliffs and rocky woods on limestone[9].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[10]. Sweet and not very acid, but less palatable than R. rubrum, the red currant[11]. An insipid fruit[12], it is not palatable[13][5]. 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].
Usage: The cultivar 'Green Mound' makes a good dwarf hedge[14].
Plants can be grown as a tall ground cover when spaced about 2 metres apart each way[7]. The cultivars 'Aureum' and 'Pumilum' are smaller growing and should be spaced about 1 metre apart[7].
Pollinators: Flies, bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.