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 sericeum Ribes sericeum Ribes sericeum is a species of currant known by the common name Lucia gooseberry, or Santa Lucia gooseberry; its Latin epithet of "sericeum" means "of silk". It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast and an additional isolated population in Santa Barbara County. "Ribes sericeum" grows on streambanks in forests and scrub habitat. It is an erect shrub growing one to two meters (40-80 inches) tall, its stems densely hairy and covered in prickles and glandular bristles. Nodes along the stem bear three spines each which may