Photographs: Macroom, Co. Cork

Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum Cuirín dubh Family: Grossulariaceae Flowering April-May. Shrub. Introduced. Garden escape. Drooping racemes of pinkish-green, bell-shaped flowers with recurved, hairy sepals are followed by clusters of edible berries, reddish ripening to black. The deciduous leaves are usually 5-lobed with small brownish glands underneath and s slightly 'catty' smell. Height to 2m. A widespread garden escape, discard or relic of cultivation in woods and hedges and on riverbanks, lakeshores and waste ground.

Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, Cuirín dubh