Commonly known as American black currant, wild black currant, or eastern black currant, Ribes americanum is native to Canada and the northern United States, including Pennsylvania. This deciduous shrub in the gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae) grows in moist woodlands, streambanks, sedge meadows, conifer bogs, rocky ravines, and partially shaded forest understories. It typically reaches 20–60 inches in height and often forms loose clumps or small thickets through spreading basal shoots.

Wild black currant is known for its smooth, round black berries, which are edible and most often used cooked in jams or preserves due to their strong flavor. It flowers in late spring, producing small pale yellow to greenish blossoms that are bell‑ to tubular‑shaped and arranged in drooping racemes of up to fifteen flowers. The leaves are broadly round with three to five shallow, maple‑like lobes. Their upper surfaces are dull green and smooth, while the undersides are paler and dotted with tiny yellowish resin glands — a helpful identifying feature. Leaf margins are finely toothed, and each leaf measures about 1.5 to 3 inches wide.

The flowers of this plant attract many types of bees, including species of Augochlora and Ceratina. The plant reproduces in two ways. First, by seed: birds and small mammals disperse the seeds after eating its fruit. Second, it spreads vegetatively through basal shoots, which allow the shrub to form clumps or loose thickets in suitable habitats.