Blackcurrant can damage both unopened and open flowers when the temperature falls below . The flowers at the base of the strig are more protected by the foliage and are less likely to be damaged. In midsummer the strigs of green fruit ripen to edible berries, very dark purple in colour, almost black, with glossy skins and persistent calyxes at the apex, each containing many seeds. An established bush can produce about 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) of fruit each year. Plants from Northern Asia are sometimes distinguished as a separate variety, "Ribes nigrum" var. "sibiricum", of which "Ribes cyathiforme" is considered
Ribes speciosum leathery leaves are shallowly divided into several lobes and are mostly hairless, the upper surfaces dark green and shiny. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or raceme of up to four flowers. The flower is a tube made up of the gland-studded scarlet sepals with the four red petals inside. The red stamens and stigmas protrude far from the mouth of the flower, each measuring up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long. The fruit is a red-orange berry about a centimeter (0.4 inch) long, is covered densely in glandular bristles. "Ribes speciosum" is cultivated as an ornamental plant for use