Ribes sanguineum (red-flowering currant) is a shrub native to the coastal Pacific Northwest, ranging from British Columbia to central California. It is an upright shrub that can reach between one to three meters tall. They were gathered by many coastal indigenous groups, but its bitterness hindered its popularity.
The leaves on the red-flowering currant are broad and alternate, palmately veined, with five lobes similar to a maple, but smaller at two to six centimeters apart. The bark is striped vertically and stems can be red-brown. The fruit are round, black and blue berries with a bloom sticking out, and the supporting stems can share a bud with a leaf.
- Leaves are broad and alternate, palmately veined, with five lobes similar to a maple leaf
- Leaves are 2-6 cm across, shrub can get 1 to 3 meters tall, and the bark is vertically striped
- Fruit is round, black and blue, with a bloom sticking out
- Stem supporting fruit shares bud with petiole of leaf