swamp currant

The shrub grows erect to spreading, .5–2 metres (1+1⁄2–6+1⁄2 feet). The deciduous leaves are palmate, alternately arranged, and 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 in) wide, usually with 5 deeply indented lobes and a heart-shaped base. Leaf margins are toothed, and the upper side is dark and glossy green. Clusters of reddish to maroon flowers bloom from April through August. Racemes of 5 to 15 pink disk-shaped flowers hang from stems covered with short hairs, bristles and, at leaf nodes, larger thick spines. Bark on older stems is cinnamon-colored. The fruit consists of dark purple berries 6–8 millimetres (1⁄4–5⁄16 inch) long.

It is widely distributed, from California to Alaska and across North America east to Pennsylvania and Newfoundland, and south as far as New Mexico. It may be found in low-elevation forests and swamps all the way up to the subalpine.

Preferred Sites. It is considered to be an extremely hardy species, capable of tolerating a wide range of soil types and conditions, as evidenced by its wide distribution. It occurs in moist woods and forests, meadow margins, streambanks, and on rough terrain such as avalanche chutes and rock crevices. It does not commonly form dense thickets.

Dispersal. Ribes lacustre regenerates primarily from seed, but can also regenerate vegetatively with adventitious roots which grow when the stems remain in prolonged contact with soil. Plants begin producing seeds when three to five years old, and each mature bush produces around 50-75 berries. Seeds are dispersed by animals or by falling from the parent plant. Seeds remain viable in the soil for long periods. In a mature forest in west-central Idaho, 51 viable prickly currant and sticky currant seeds were found per square foot of soil.