Ribes spicatum, the downy currantorNordic currant, is a species in the genus Ribes, native to northern Europe and northern Asia.[2] Its bright red berries are edible and quite good‑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. spicatum are a duller and darker green than R. rubrum with its paler yellowish‑green leaves. R. spicatum holds its leaves at a right angle to the stem, whereas R. rubrum leaves are less erect, markedly distinguishing the overall form of the bushes. R. spicatum has green petioles, but R. rubrum petioles are more orange‑ish.[3]
| Ribes spicatum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unripe fruit | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Grossulariaceae |
| Genus: | Ribes |
| Species: |
R. spicatum
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| Binomial name | |
| Ribes spicatum | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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The following subspecies is currently accepted:[2]
With practice, bushes can be accurately identified from a distance of 10 m or more, even in mixed populations.