Hokkaido Forestry Research Institute and Greenery Research and Information Center is a state run facility by the Prefecture of Hokkaido. Native woody plants of Hokkaido are studied at this center. Dr. Takao Sato is a senior research scientist at this center and has written a book on 'Trees and Shrubs of Hokkaido' . Dr. Sato guided us through the collections at the HFRI. This accession was collected from cultivated plants of originally wild collected species growing in the experimental gardens. This accession was collected under the auspices of a bilateral agreement between the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods, Japan, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Reseach Service, USA, prepared in May 2004.
Fruits on long strigs, as many as 15 to 20 fruit per strig. Most of the fruits were green when collected. Some were just beginning to turn black.
The HFRI had Pinus strobus near by so there was ample opportunity for white pine blister rust to develop on susceptible plants. This species is highly susceptible to this disease. The Ribes leaves were covered with uredinia on the abaxial surfaces.