Black Topaz™ Currant

Ribes odoratum ‘Black Topaz’™

Black currants are prohibited to DE, ME, NC, NJ, WV, VA, NH, MA & RI. Permit required for MI & OH.

This new selection of ‘clove’ currant boasts yellow, pleasantly fragrant flowers in spring which are followed by a reliable harvest of marble-sized, sweet, delectable, deep black berries. Black Topaz™ yields mature fruit in July and it grows into a pleasant, simple-to-cultivate, diminutive shrub which matures to 3′-4′ tall, and it also displays rich, dusty amber/carmine fall color.

Commonly called the ‘clove currant’ due to the delicious clove scent of its vivid yellow spring flowers, the Ribes odoratum group are the most ornamental and the sweetest in flavor of all the black currants. It makes a beautiful edible hedge when planted in a row, as the gooseberry-shaped leaves turn brilliant red and dusky amber in late summer and fall. The fruit is large for a currant and round; it’s also borne singly and not in clusters. It has a nice sweet flavor without the dusky, resinous, black currant aftertaste. It makes a milder jam, syrup or raisin than other black currants. The plant is not considered rust resistant, but is considered easy to grow in areas without warm and humid summers and it tolerates more heat and direct sun that Ribes nigrum varieties. Choose another Ribes odoratum variety, like Missouri Giant, as a pollination partner to increase the yield from both varieties! We offer well-rooted 1-year bushes. Hardy to USDA Zone 3. 

Click here to read our Currant Growing Guide