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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 var. villosum (Clove currant)
Smith, R.W.

Ribes aureum var. villosum

Ribes aureum Pursh var. villosum DC.

Clove Currant, Golden Currant, Buffalo Currant, Missouri Currant

Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)

Synonym(s): Ribes odoratum

USDA Symbol: RIAUV

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)

This is a 4-10 ft., multiple-stemmed, deciduous shrub with upright, arching branching. Each plant is usually surrounded by a mass of young suckering growth. Small, trumpet-shaped, yellow flowers, each with a red center, hang in nodding clusters. Black berries follow. Palmately-lobed, bluish-green foliage turns yellow in fall.

This species is sometimes called R. odoratum. The berries are favorites among birds.

 

From the Image Gallery

9 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 10 feet tall.
Fruit: Usually red, orange, brown or black, rarely yellow.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun
Bloom Notes: Yellow, aging to orange.

Distribution

USA: AR , CO , CT , IA , IL , IN , KS , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MT , ND , NE , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , SD , TN , TX , VT , WI , WY
Native Distribution: Great Plains from ND & MT to TX; introduced eastward
Native Habitat: Sandy or chalky bluffs; prairies; woodland edges; stream banks

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
Soil Description: Sandy soils.
Conditions Comments: This is an alternate host of White Pine blister rust. R. odoratum has been included in R. aureum, a more westerly species.

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: Take softwood cuttings in June or July. These root well when treated with hormone and placed under mist. Seeds may be fall sown or stratified.
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.
Seed Treatment: Stratify for three months.
Commercially Avail: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 1 - Texas Native Shrubs (2002) Texas A&M University Agriculture Program and Leslie Finical, Dallas Arboretum

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-20
Research By: TWC Staff

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