Red-flowering currant

Description:

A species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae. An amazing specimen reaching 3 mt tall and covered with reddish pink flowers on multiple thornless stems. Deciduous, alternate leaves are rounded with 3-5 shallow lobes and deep veins lending a wrinkled appearance. They are green above and dull green beneath due to fine hairs and turn yellow to reddish in mid to late summer. Leaves of some plants are pungent when crushed.

Habitat:

Spotted in an urban area at the south end of Five Mile Lake in Federal Way, Wa. These Plants are commonly found from southwest British Columbia through western Washington and Oregon (mostly west of the Cascade Mountains crest) and the California Coast Ranges to Santa Barbara County. There are also small relict populations in northern Idaho. Red-flowering currant habitat includes open woods, forest gaps, dry rocky slopes and disturbed sites from sea level up to 6,000 ft.

Notes:

Red-flowering currant is a drought tolerant deciduous shrub that may be useful in restoration plantings. It provides early spring nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, forage for the larvae of more than two dozen species of moths and butterflies, and nesting sites or cover for songbirds and small mammals. Numerous birds including grouse, quail, robins, finches, towhees, and woodpeckers, and small mammals consume the berries. Red-flowering currant provides occasional browse for game animals and modest forage value for sheep and cattle. Abundant showy flowers make this plant attractive as a landscape specimen or informal hedge and more than a dozen selections and hybrids are featured in the ornamental trade. Berries, although very tart, are considered suitable by some for jam, jelly, pie, juice or syrup. Native Americans ate the berries fresh or dried. This species has been investigated for medicinal anti bacterial and anti viral properties and is used in currant fruit breeding programs to confer resistance to anthracnose, powdery mildew and currant stem borer.