Ribes aureum

Last updated

Golden currant
Ribes aureum var aureum 4.jpg
R. aureum var. aureum, Spring Mountains, Nevada.
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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 intermediaSpach
  • Chrysobotrya lindleyanaSpach
  • Chrysobotrya odorata(H.L.Wendl.) Rydb.
  • Chrysobotrya revolutaSpach
  • Coreosma longifloraLunell
  • Coreosma odorata(H.L.Wendl.) Nieuwl.
  • Ribes aureum var. longiflorum(Nutt.) Jancz.
  • Ribes aureum var. tenuiflorum(Lindl.) Jeps.
  • Ribes flavumBerland.
  • Ribes fragransLodd.
  • Ribes longiflorumNutt.
  • Ribes odoratumH.L.Wendl.
  • Ribes odoratum var. intermedium(Spach) Rehder ex A. Berger
  • Ribes palmatumDeshmukh
  • Ribes tenuiflorumLindl.

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]

Contents

Description

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]

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. [10]

Varieties

Distribution and habitat

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

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

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

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

References

  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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.