Description. Shrub 1-1.5 m. the Leaves are 3-5-lobed. Flowers are five-membered, greenish or purple, collected in 4-10-flowered brushes. The fruit is a red or yellowish berry, about 1 cm in diameter. Habitat. It grows in the Northern regions of the European part of Russia, in Western and Eastern Siberia in shrubby thickets, on the edges, along the banks of rivers. Bred as food, sometimes runs wild. The berries ripen in July and August. Winter-hardy species. It does not tolerate shading and waterlogging of the soil. Application. Red currant fruits are a valuable food product. Berries are used for making jam, jam, jam, high-quality jelly, fillings, juices, and are used as raw materials in wine-making. Honey plant. Drug. Chemical composition and medicinal properties. Berries contain up to 10% of sugars, organic acids, pectin, tannins, vitamins. Medicinal properties of red currant are positive effects on the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract. The juice improves your appetite and quenches your thirst well. Definition and similar plants. A plant of the gooseberry family. The genus Ribes contains about 150 species that grow mainly in the temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern hemisphere. Several species can be found in the European part of Russia. In the middle zone there is a similar species-currant fluffy or spiky (Ribes pubescens (Schwartz) Hedl. or Ribes spicatum Robson) with red berries. From red Currant, it differs in multi-flowered (up to 22) brushes. The most famous type of currant is black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.), which grows in the forests and forest-steppes of the European part, but is better known as a cultivated plant.