Prickly Currant

Ribes lacustre

Taxonomy

Division:: Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:: Grossulariaceae
Genus:: Ribes
Species:: Ribes lacustre

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:: Perennial
Growth Habit:: Shrub
Height:: 6-8 ft
Light Requirements:: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Drought Tolerance:: Medium
Bloom Months:: may, jun
Bloom Colors:: Pink, Yellow, Green, Brown
Landscaping Shrub:: Yes

Native Range

United States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Alfalfa Looper (Autographa californica), Army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris), Burdock Borer (Papaipema cataphracta), clandestine dart (Spaelotis clandestina), Columbia silk moth (Hyalophora columbia), Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype sospeta), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Horned Spanworm (Nematocampa resistaria), Itame flavicaria, Itame quadrilinearia, Limbata angle moth (Nematocampa limbata), Mesothea incertata, Peppered Moth (Biston betularia), Scallop moth (Cepphis armataria), Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum), Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata), stalk borer moth (Papaipema nebris), Stretchia plusiiformis, Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californica), White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata), Zelleria gracilariella, Red-spotted Purple (Basilarchia arthemis), Zephyr anglewing (Polygonia zephyrus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:: 5.0 - 7.0 (acidic to neutral)
Drainage:: good drainage preferred
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: thrives in forested, shaded areas

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Seeds are placed in cold moist stratification for 120 to 200 days or fall sown in containers to undergo a 5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification.

Establishment: R. lacustre is found from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south to California, Colorado, the Dakotas, Michigan and Pennsylvania. There is no conflicting information in the provided protocols.

Source: npn.rngr.net