Ribes spicatum
{{Short description|Species of plant in the genus Ribes}}
{{Speciesbox
|image=Rote Johannisbeeren Mannheim.JPG
|image_caption=Unripe fruit
|taxon=Ribes spicatum
|authority=E.RobsonW.Withering, Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 3, 2: 265 (1796)
|synonyms={{collapsible list|
- Ribes heteromorphum Topa
- Ribes lithuanicum Jancz.
- Ribes liouanum {{small|Kitag.}}
- Ribes pubescens (Hartm.) Hedl.
- Ribes scandicum Hedl.
- Ribes schlechtendalii Lange
- Ribes spicatum var. pubescens (Hartm.) Cinovskis
- Ribes palczewskii {{small|(Jancz.) Pojark.}}
}}}}
Ribes spicatum, the downy currant or Nordic currant, is a species of shrub in the family Grossulariaceae, native to northern Europe and northern Asia.{{cite web |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:793001-1 |title=Ribes spicatum E.Robson |author= |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=19 September 2020 }} Its bright red berries are edible and quite good{{nbh}}tasting. It can be differentiated from the more common redcurrant (Ribes rubrum) not so much by its leaf hairs, as these tend to fall off as the leaf ages, but by other characteristics: the leaves of R.{{nbsp}}spicatum are a duller and darker green than R.{{nbsp}}rubrum with its paler yellowish{{nbh}}green leaves. R.{{nbsp}}spicatum holds its leaves at a right angle to the stem, whereas R.{{nbsp}}rubrum leaves are less erect, markedly distinguishing the overall form of the bushes. R.{{nbsp}}spicatum has green petioles, but R.{{nbsp}}rubrum petioles are more orange{{nbh}}ish.{{cite web |url=https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/Ribes_spicatum_species_account.pdf |title=Ribes spicatum Robson Downy Currant. Species Account. |last1=Richards |first1=A.J. |date=31 January 2015 |website=bsbi.org |publisher=Botanical Society of the British Isles |access-date=19 September 2020 |quote=With practice, bushes can be accurately identified from a distance of 10{{nbsp}}m or more, even in mixed populations. }}