Ribes alpinum

{{Short description|Species of shrub}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Speciesbox

|name = Alpine currant

|image = Ribes alpinum - berries (aka).jpg

|image_caption = A twig of alpine currants

|genus = Ribes

|species = alpinum

|authority = L.

|synonyms_ref = [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2426163 The Plant List, Ribes alpinum L. ]

|synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true

|Ribes lucidum Kit.

|Grossularia alpestris Bubani

|Grossularia insipida Rupr.

|Liebichia alpina (L.) Opiz

|Liebichia gottsteinii Opiz

|Ribes alpinum subsp. lucidum (Kit.) Jasicová

|Ribes alpinum subsp. lucidum Pawł.

|Ribes pallidigemmum Simonk.

|Ribes scopolii Hladnik

}}}}

Ribes alpinum, known as mountain currant{{BSBI 2007 |accessdate=2014-10-17 }} or alpine currant,{{PLANTS|id=RIAL2|taxon=Ribes alpinum|accessdate=22 October 2015}} is a small deciduous, dioecious shrub native to central and northern Europe from Finland and Norway south to the Alps and Pyrenees and Caucasus, Georgia; in the south of its range, it is confined to high altitudes. It is scarce in western Europe, in Britain being confined to a small number of sites in northern England and Wales.{{ cite web |url=http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Ribes&SPECIES_XREF=alpinum&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= |title=Flora Europaea: Ribes alpinum query results |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |accessdate=August 20, 2009}}

R. alpinum grows to {{Convert|2|m|ft|abbr=off|frac=2}} tall and {{Convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=on|frac=2}} broad, with an upright and dense shape. The bark is initially smooth and light grey, later it becomes brownish grey and eventually starts to flake off. The buds are scattered, compressed and light green to white. The leaves are palmate. The upper side of the leaves are dark green with scattered hair, while the bottom is light green. The male and female flowers are on distinct specimens. Both kinds of flowers are organized in clusters in the corners of the leaves, where the male's are the longest. The individual flowers are small and greenish-yellow. The edible fruit is red, clear and resembles a redcurrant, but has an insipid taste. The seeds germinate readily.[https://www.agroatlas.ru/en/content/related/Ribes_alpinum/ Agroatlas, Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries][https://wilde-planten.nl/alpenbes.htm Wilde Planten in Nederlane en België, Ribes alpinum] in Dutch with photos and global distribution map

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|Ribes alpinum MN 2007.JPG|An alpine currant hedge at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

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