Family: gooseberries (Grossulariaceae)
Flowering time: April–May
Size: 80–150 cm
Habitat: marsh forests of black alder, willow stands on fen soils
For black currant (Ribes nigrum) the characteristic features are up to 1.5 m tall shoots with gray bark and without thorns. The leaf blade of the shrub’s leaves is divided into three to five lobes with a serrated edge. On the underside the leaves are dotted with yellow punctate glands that secrete a substance with an unpleasant odor. This resembles the odor of the secretion that stink bugs use to repel intruders. Small flowers are arranged in pendulous racemes. The fruits are blue-black, glossy berries, which we use for making marmalades and pressing juices. In Slovenia, black currant occurs only at a handful of localities, therefore in our country it is regarded as a rare species.
