Henriette Kress wrote in message . ..
sherwindu wrote:

My neighbor has just planted a row of black currants, close to
my south property line. While trying to find some advice for him on growing
them, I came across several references that state this plant can cause white pine
blister rust and for that reason, it is not heavily planted in gardens.

Crush a leaf and smell it.

Heavenly scent? Congrats, you actually have a real black currant, Ribes nigrum,
which can carry a disease.

No scent? You have a Ribes aureum with large black berries, of no consequence to
any vegetation around them.

Ribes aureum is carrier for white pine blister rust. Virtually all
Ribes species can carry the disease.

Henriette