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Reveal, James L.

Ribes cereum

Ribes cereum Douglas

Wax Currant, White Squaw Currant, Western Red Currant

Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: RICE

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

White Squaw Currant is a compact, mounded, unarmed shrub, 3-6 ft. tall and equally as wide, with cherry-like bark and tidy, light-green foliage turning yellow in fall. Clusters of light-pink to white, bell-shaped flowers give way to bright-red, fuzzy, feather duster-like fruit.

From the Image Gallery

30 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 6 feet tall.
Leaf: Dark Green.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , CO , ID , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , UT , WA , WY
Canada: BC
Native Distribution: Extreme s.w. ND to B.C., s. to NM & CA
Native Habitat: Pine forests; wood openings; dry slopes & ridges

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Dry, rocky or sandy soils.
Conditions Comments: Not recommended; carries disease which kills white pine.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Berries are favorites among birds. Provides cover for a variety of wildlife.
Conspicuous 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: May be propagated by 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 on display at the following locations:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-24
Research By: TWC Staff

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