Ribes sanguineum and cultivars
Common name: Red-flowering currant
Ribes sanguineum is a deciduous shrub native to western North America. Its red flowers bloom as the leaves emerge in early spring. It was identified by Archibald Menzies in 1793 but introduced by David Douglas in 1828. Its flower clusters are distributed widely along its branches, which allows bird pollinators space to hover.
We have quite a few specimens in the Garden, some of which nod over the railing on the ramp from the restaurant to the Visitor Centre.
There are a number of cultivars in the Garden, including:
- R. sanguineum 'Pink Tails', with large, pink flowers in the BC Habitat Garden, adored by hummingbirds
- R. sanguineum 'King Edward VII' in the Canadian Heritage Garden
Flower and hummingbird photo by USFWS - Pacific Region, Public domain
Shrub photo by By Walter Siegmund, wikimedia.org
Pale-pink R. sanguineum 'Pink Tails' photo by Lyn Anderson taken in Garden May 2022
R. sanguineum 'King Edward VII' photo by Jonathan Billinger, via Wikimedia Commons