''Ribes aureum'', known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the genus ''

Ribes ''Ribes'' is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The various species are known as currants or gooseberries, and some are cultivated for their edible ...

'' native to North America.

Description

The plant is a small to medium-sized

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

shrub, tall. The leaves are green, semi-leathery, with 3 or 5 lobes, and turn red in autumn. 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 Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

. Flowers may also be shades of

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

to reddish, and are borne in clusters of up to 15.USDA Species Profile
/ref> The shrub produces

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

about in diameter from an early age. The ripe fruits are amber yellow to black. Those of

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''villosum'' are black.

Taxonomy

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''.

Varieties

* ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''aureum'': below in the western U.S. * ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''gracillimum'': below in the

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. P ...

* ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''villosum'' – clove currant (syn: ''Ribes odoratum''); native west of Mississippi River, but naturalized further to the east

Distribution and habitat

''Ribes aureum'' is native to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and most of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(except the southeast). It can be found around gravel banks and plains around flowing water.

Ecology

Pollinators of the plant include hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. The fruit is eaten by various birds and mammals. This currant species is susceptible to

white pine blister rust ''Cronartium ribicola'' is a species of rust fungus in the family Cronartiaceae that causes the disease white pine blister rust. Other names include: (French), (German), (Spanish). ''Cronartium ribicola'' is native to China, and was subseque ...

(''Cronartium ribicola''), a fungus which attacks and kills

pines A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

, so it is sometimes eradicated from forested areas where the fungus is active to prevent its spread.

Cultivation

''R. aureum'' is widely cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, in traditional,

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

drought tolerant Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, deto ...

, and

wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibian ...

s, and

natural landscaping Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants and adapted species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Benefits Maintenance Natural land ...

projects. Unlike some other species of currants, ''Ribes aureum'' is in the remarkably drought-tolerant group of ''

''. Named

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s have been introduced also. Although the flowers are

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...

, the yield is greatly benefited by

cross-pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, bird ...

Uses

The fruits are edible raw, but are very tart or bitter. They are usually cooked with sugar and can be made into jelly. The flowers are also edible. The berries were used for food, and other plant parts for medicine, by various Native American groups across its range in North America.University of Michigan (Dearborn): Ethnobotany
/ref>

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment – ''Ribes aureum''

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Ribes aureum'' (golden currant)

University of Washington, Burke Museum
*
Line drawing for Flora of Pakistan
{{- aureum Flora of Canada Flora of the United States Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Plants described in 1813