Ribes sinanense ("Suguri")

Japanese name: スグリ （酸塊）
Scientific name: Ribes sinanense

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1.5 m tall, found in rocky places in mountain forests.
The bark splits lengthwise and peels off.
It branches well; young branches at first have sparse short glandular hairs.
At the nodes of the branches there are 3 sharp spines, 0.5–2 cm long and up to 0.2 cm in diameter.
The leaves are alternate, about 2–3.5 cm long and wide, and palmately 3–5-lobed, with the lobes further shallowly 3–5-lobed.
Both surfaces of the leaves have sparse short soft hairs and glandular hairs, or are hairless.
The leaf margin has blunt, rounded teeth.
The petiole is 1.5–4.5 cm long and usually has white soft hairs and glandular hairs.
Racemes 3–5 cm long arise from the leaf axils of short shoots and bear 1–2 flowers tinged with pale green; the inflorescence, bracts and flower stalks have sparse soft hairs and glandular hairs.
The fruit is spherical to elliptical-spherical, 0.8–1.2 cm in diameter, ripens red, and is hairless.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or by cuttings.
It suits a cool climate and prefers a sunny site with soil that is well drained and retains moisture well.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless a long spell of sunny weather makes the soil dry.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter, and also place fertilizer on the soil in autumn.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew and scale insects.

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