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Wild Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Found in bottomland forests, other moist forests, marl marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

77
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
About 3 feet
Soil moisture
Average to wet
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Bloom
Early spring

Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Moist forests

Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland
Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 73 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

81CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Ribes

  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Alcathoe caudataClematis Borer, Clematis Clearwing Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Apamea amputatrixYellow-Headed Cutworm Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Show all 81
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
  • Carposina fernaldanaCurrant Fruitworm Moth
  • Cepphis armatariaScallop Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Dichorda iridariaShowy Emerald
  • Dysstroma citrataDark Marbled Carpet
  • Dysstroma hersiliataOrange-Barred Carpet
  • Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Eulithis propulsataCurrant Eulithis
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eupsilia tristigmataThree-Spotted Sallow, Brown Fruitworm
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Hesperumia sulphurariaSulphur Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane baileyiBailey's Pinion
  • Lithophane tepidaWarm Gray Pinion, White-Eyes Pinion
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Macaria evagariaDrab Angle
  • Macaria subcessariaBarred Angle, Barred Granite
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nymphalis milbertiMilbert's Tortoise Shell, Fire-Rim Tortoise Shell
  • Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Platypolia ancepsGray-Dusted Sallow
  • Polia nimbosaStormy Arches
  • Polygonia progneGray Comma
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Pseudopostega quadristrigellaGooseberry Barkminer
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Selenia alcipheariaNorthern Selenia, Northern Thorn
  • Sicya maculariaSharp-Lined Yellow
  • Sideridis roseaThe Rosewing
  • Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Xylena nuperaRed Swordgrass Moth, American Swordgrass Moth, False Armyworm
  • Zophodia grossulariellaGooseberry Fruitworm Moth
  • Acleris maccana
  • Carposina ottawana
  • Herpetogramma aquilonalis
  • Opostegoides scioterma
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
11BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ribes

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ribes

  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Aphelocoma californicaCalifornia Scrub-Jay
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sialia currucoidesMountain Bluebird
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
Show all 12
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Grossulariaceae
Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Early spring” · USDA PLANTS via EOL TraitBank · Nationwide approximate species characteristics; tolerance categories do not specify sun hours or moisture requirements
  • Height · “About 3 feet” · USDA PLANTS via EOL TraitBank (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide approximate species characteristics; tolerance categories do not specify sun hours or moisture requirements
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers

Conservation status

Virginia rankS1
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

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