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Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Ribes aureum (Golden currant)
Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn

Ribes aureum Pursh

Golden currant

Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)

USDA Symbol: RIAU

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Golden currant is a 3-6 ft., deciduous shrub with light-green, three-lobed leaves and spicy-scented racemes of yellow flowers, turning orange with age, on long, wand-like stems. Berries are either yellow, red or black when ripe.

A native of the West, Golden Currant has been planted eastward in the United States and has escaped from cultivation and naturalized in many places.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Black
Size Class: 6-12 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , SD , TN , TX , UT , VT , WA , WI , WY
Canada: AB , BC , SK
Native Distribution: Sask. to NM, w. to n.c. WA & CA
Native Habitat: Moist to drier hillsides & river valleys
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(NI)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Moist to drier soils.
Conditions Comments: The typical species is a very adaptable plant, tolerating standing water to drought. R. odoratum (a Great Plains/Midwest species) has been included in R. aureum. This a host to white pine blister rust.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar to hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Birds, bears and rodents eat the fruit.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Description: Propagation is by twig cuttings and seed.
Seed Collection: Seeds need to be picked or stripped as soon as they are ripe to lessen losses to birds. Maceration and flotation can be used to extract the seeds.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ribes aureum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ribes aureum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ribes aureum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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