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Golden Currant
Scientific Name:
Ribes aureum
Type:
Shrub
Habitat:
Riparian zones, grasslands, forests, and hillsides
Range:
Western North America, naturalized in many other parts of the world.
Status:
No listed status.
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Golden currants are three to ten-foot tall deciduous shrubs that are in the currant and gooseberry family. They have small yellow flowers which give the plant its name. They are trumpet-shaped and tubular with 5 yellow sepals and 5 shorter reddish petals. The flowers have a smell similar to cloves. The ripe berries can be orange, red, black, or purpleish. The leaves are alternate or clustered with three to five lobes that are vaguely maple-shaped. The stems are thornless, unlike some other Ribes species. The bark is grey to reddish brown.
Fast Facts:
The berries are often used to make jams, jellies, jams, and pies. Indigenous people have been known to use Golden currant to make pemmican.
Many states in the early 1900s banned currants and removed currants to prevent the white pine blister rust. Most states lifted the bans by 1966. This is why currants being consumed in the United States are less prevalent than in the U.K. and Europe.
Has been found at: Lockwood Park, Valley Wood Park, Mayberry Park, Oxbow Nature Study Area, Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.
Sources:
Hansen, S., Maughan, T., & Black, B. (2023, December 14). How to grow red currants in your garden. USU. https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/red-currants-in-the-garden#:~:text=In%20the%20early%201900s%2C%20currants,currant%20being%20much%20more%20susceptible.
Nesom, G. (n.d.). Golden Currant - USDA Plants Database. GOLDEN CURRANT Ribes aureum Pursh . https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_riau.pdf
TWC Staff. (2023, April 25). Ribes aureum. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=riau
Contributor(s):
Robert Stolting (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)