LogFAQs > #956559157

Both currants and gooseberries are potential carriers of white pine blister rust. While not serious for them, the fungus can have devastating effects on white pines. To protect the pines the US government decided to enact a federal ban on the growing of any currants/gooseberries in the US in the 1920s. While the federal ban was lifted in 1966, there are still various state and local restrictions and bans. If you try to order the plants from any nurseries you'll see a long list of states that they can't ship to.

This ban made them rare in the US for decades, but they're slowly becoming more common. Also as a side note: If you ever see zante currants, they have nothing to do with actual currants (Ribes) and are actually a variety of small grape (Black Corinth). So if you're seeing currant jam it's presumably actual currants. But if you're reading something and it has dried currants chances are it's actually those grapes.