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purple-ish berries
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:23 pm
by Septimus
Hi,
I have just moved house and in the garden is a large bush that has small, almost spherical berries, similar in appearance to black/red currants but not as shiney, slightly furry that are just beginning to ripen from green to a dark purple colour, very soft when ripe and appear to be full of seeds? Any ideas what they are?
Cheers in advance
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:22 pm
by alan refail
Septimus
Does it look like
CLICK HERE?
If so it's a jostaberry. Look after it and enjoy.
Alan
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:31 pm
by Septimus
They look a little like that, but they are not twice the size of a blackcurrant as it says about the Jostaberry. I have taken some photos which can be seen at the link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=138511&l=d8434&id=834020607
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:54 pm
by alan refail
Do the leaves smell strongly of blackcurrants (or slightly of cat pee!)? If so. it's probably
Flowering currant
Your photo of the leaf certainly looks like flowering currant.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:11 pm
by Septimus
yes they do have a blackcurranty smell, i've added another photo from a couple of months ago, its not as clear but you can make out flowers that look similar to those on the link you sent, albeit slightly darker
wikipedia says they are edible but insipid, any suggestions?
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:27 pm
by alan refail
Definitely flowering currant - they come in a whole variety of shades. Don't bother eating; treat it as ornamental, or replace it.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:50 pm
by Tigger
Or it could be a sweet gooseberry. We've got several of these and they are hardly distinguishable from a jostaberry.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:43 am
by Chantal
It doesn't look like my Jostaberry, the fruit is way too small. However, my flowering currant has never had fruit of any sort
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:05 am
by vivienz
I'm with the flowering currant vote. Looks just like one my mum had before she inflicted her human agent orange treatment on it. It is no longer!
Vivien
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:05 pm
by Primrose
The leaf certainly looks like a blackcurrant leaf but my flowering red currant has never borne any berries. As a last resort, if you send samples to the Plant Identification unit at Kew Gardens, Surrey, they will be able to tell you what it is.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:07 pm
by Parsons Jack
In a previous garden I had a flowering currant which fruited like the one in the pics. It looks just the same.
Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:09 pm
by realfood
Jostaberries leaves do not have a blackcurrant smell. The berries do not look like Jostaberries as they are not the right shape.
In my experience, Jostaberries, Blackcurrants and Worcester berries are very similar in size.