Golden Currant
Ribes aureum Pursh
Golden Currant: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/1634
Synonyms
Tags
Non-native

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Source: Wikipedia

Golden currant
R. aureum var. aureum, Spring Mountains, Nevada.

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Grossulariaceae
Genus: Ribes
Subgenus: Ribes subg. Ribes
Section: Ribes sect. Symphocalyx
Species:
R. aureum
Binomial name
Ribes aureum
Pursh 1813
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Chrysobotrya aurea (Pursh) Rydb.
  • Chrysobotrya intermedia Spach
  • Chrysobotrya lindleyana Spach
  • Chrysobotrya odorata (H.L.Wendl.) Rydb.
  • Chrysobotrya revoluta Spach
  • Coreosma longiflora Lunell
  • Coreosma odorata (H.L.Wendl.) Nieuwl.
  • Ribes aureum var. longiflorum (Nutt.) Jancz.
  • Ribes aureum var. tenuiflorum (Lindl.) Jeps.
  • Ribes flavum Berland.
  • Ribes fragrans Lodd.
  • Ribes longiflorum Nutt.
  • Ribes odoratum H.L.Wendl.
  • Ribes odoratum var. intermedium (Spach) Rehder ex A. Berger
  • Ribes palmatum Deshmukh
  • Ribes tenuiflorum Lindl.

Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant,[3] clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.[4]

Description

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The plant is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub, 2–3 metres (6+1⁄2–10 feet) tall.[5] The leaves are 1.5–4 centimetres (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) long,[5] green, semi-leathery,[6] with 3 or 5 lobes; they turn red in autumn.[7]

The plant blooms in spring with racemes of conspicuous golden yellow flowers, often with a pronounced, spicy fragrance similar to that of cloves or vanilla. Flowers may also be shades of cream to reddish, and are borne in clusters of up to 18.[8][5] The shrub produces berries about 1 cm (3⁄8 in) in diameter from an early age. The ripe fruits are amber yellow to black.[8] Those of variety villosum are black.[9]

  • Leaves
    Leaves
  • Flower close-up
    Flower close-up
  • Berries close-up
    Berries close-up
  • Berries of R. aureum var. aureum
    Berries of R. aureum var. aureum
  • Berries of R. aureum var. villosum
    Berries of R. aureum var. villosum

Taxonomy

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The species belongs to the subgenus Ribes, which contains other currants such as the blackcurrant (R. nigrum) and redcurrant (R. rubrum), and is the sole member of the section Symphocalyx.[10]

Varieties

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  • Ribes aureum var. aureum: below 910 m (3,000 ft) in the western U.S.[11]
  • Ribes aureum var. gracillimum: below 910 m (3,000 ft) in the California Coast Ranges[12]
  • Ribes aureum var. villosum – clove currant (syn: Ribes odoratum); native west of Mississippi River, but naturalized further to the east[13]

Distribution and habitat

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Ribes aureum is native to Canada and the central United States west of the Mississippi River, but has escaped cultivation and naturalized in the eastern United States.[14][13]

It can be found around gravel banks and plains around flowing water.[6]

Ecology

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Pollinators of the plant include hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. The fruit is eaten by various birds and mammals.[15]

This currant species is susceptible to white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), a fungus which attacks and kills pines, so it is sometimes eradicated from forested areas where the fungus is active to prevent its spread.[8][16]

Cultivation

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R. aureum is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, in traditional, native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects.[17] Named cultivars have been also introduced.

Although the flowers are hermaphroditic, the yield is greatly benefited by cross-pollination.

Uses

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The fruits are edible raw, but are very tart or bitter.[18] They are usually cooked with sugar and can be made into jelly.[6] The flowers are also edible.[8][7]

The berries were used for food, and other plant parts for medicine, by various Native American groups across its range in North America.[8][19]

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Ribes aureum". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Ribes aureum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. ^ NRCS. "Ribes aureum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Ribes aureum". Plants for a Future.
  5. ^ a b c Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-60469-263-1.
  6. ^ a b c Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 42. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  7. ^ a b Morin, Nancy R. (2009). "Ribes aureum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 8. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  8. ^ a b c d e USDA Species Profile
  9. ^ "Ribes aureum var. villosum (Clove currant) | Native Plants of North America". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  10. ^ "Ribes aureum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  11. ^ Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. aureum
  12. ^ Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. gracillimum
  13. ^ a b Morin, Nancy R. (2009). "Ribes aureum var. villosum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 8. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  14. ^ "Ribes odoratum". Plants for a Future.
  15. ^ "Ribes aureum (Golden currant) | Native Plants of North America". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin. 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  16. ^ Marshall, K. Anna (1995). "Ribes aureum". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
  17. ^ Las Pilitas Nursery horticultural treatment: Ribes aureum . accessed 1.30.2013
  18. ^ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
  19. ^ University of Michigan (Dearborn): Ethnobotany
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