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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.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: 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 , YellowBloom 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 , WYNative 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 ShadeSoil 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 BeesThis 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 PlantsFNA: Find Ribes aureum var. villosum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ribes aureum var. villosum
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-10-20Research By: TWC Staff