Shrub wide, upright. Leaves to about 6 cm long, roundish with 3-5 pointed lobes, the base cordate. Flower clusters either pendulous or with pendent tips. Flowers green to reddish, the calyx cup-shaped; late spring to early summer. Fruit translucent, red.
Syn. R. silvestre (Lam.) Mertens
R. sativum (Rchb.) Syme is also sometimes regarded as synonymous with this species.
The commercial Red Currant is probably a hybrid of three wild species first produced by the Dutch and soon in wide use in Europe from the 16th-19th centuries. Cultivars available include: 'Fay's New Prolific', 'Raby Castle' and 'Versailles'. Red Currants are not produced commercially in Australia except by a few specialised growers who supply them as curiosities for boutique markets.
Europe.
Source: (2002). Grossulariaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.