Blackcurrant Blackcurrant The blackcurrant or black currant ("Ribes nigrum") is a woody shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia where it prefers damp fertile soils and is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically. It is winterhardy, but cold weather at flowering time during the spring reduces the size of the crop. Bunches of small, glossy black fruit develop along the stems in the summer and can be harvested by hand or by machine. The raw fruit is particularly rich in vitamin C and polyphenol phytochemicals.
Ribes inerme three to five toothed lobes which may be divided partway into smaller lobes. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or raceme of up to five flowers which hangs pendent. The flower has five reddish green sepals which are reflexed upward. At the center are white or pinkish petals and protruding stamens and stigmas. The fruit is an edible hairless greenish, purple, or black berry roughly a centimeter (0.4 inch) wide. Ribes inerme Ribes inerme is a species of currant known by the common names whitestem gooseberry and white stemmed gooseberry. It is native to western North America from British Columbia