Blackcurrant material from the gooseberry ("Ribes grossularia"), the red currant ("Ribes rubrum") and the flowering currant ("Ribes sanguineum"). The resulting offspring were further back-crossed to "R. nigrum". Cultivars produced include 'Tisel' and 'Tiben' in 2000 and 'Ores', 'Ruben' and 'Tines' in 2005. Further cultivars 'Polares' and 'Tihope' are being tested. Since 1991, New Zealand has become an important centre for research and development, as its temperate climate is particularly suitable for cultivation of the crop. Breeding programmes are concentrating on yield, large fruit size, consistency of cropping and upright habit. In North America, there is a need for this fruit to
Ribes speciosum Ribes speciosum Ribes speciosum is a species of flowering plant in the Grossulariaceae family, which includes the edible currants and gooseberries. It is a spiny deciduous shrub with spring-flowering, elongate red flowers that resemble fuchsias, though it is not closely related. Its common names are fuchsia-flowered gooseberry and Californian fuchsia. It is native to central and southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the scrub and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges. "Ribes speciosum" is a spreading shrub which can reach in maximum height, its stems coated in bristles with three long spines at each stem node. The