{{Short description|Species of plant}} {{Speciesbox | name = Golden currant | image = Ribes aureum var aureum 4.jpg | image_caption = ''R. aureum'' var. ''aureum'', Spring&nbsp;Mountains, Nevada. | status = {{TNCStatus}} | status_system = TNC | status_ref = <ref name="NatureServe">{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=''Ribes aureum'' |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.148091/Ribes_aureum |access-date=25 September 2024 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2024}}</ref> | genus = Ribes | display_parents = 2 | parent = Ribes sect. Symphocalyx | species = aureum | authority = Pursh 1813 | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{ThePlantList |id=kew-2426191 |taxon=Ribes aureum}}</ref> |synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |''Chrysobotrya aurea'' <small>(Pursh) Rydb.</small> |''Chrysobotrya intermedia'' <small>Spach</small> |''Chrysobotrya lindleyana'' <small>Spach</small> |''Chrysobotrya odorata'' <small>(H.L.Wendl.) Rydb.</small> |''Chrysobotrya revoluta'' <small>Spach</small> |''Coreosma longiflora'' <small>Lunell</small> |''Coreosma odorata'' <small>(H.L.Wendl.) Nieuwl.</small> |''Ribes aureum'' var. ''longiflorum'' <small>(Nutt.) Jancz.</small> |''Ribes aureum'' var. ''tenuiflorum'' <small>(Lindl.) Jeps.</small> |''Ribes flavum'' <small>Berland.</small> |''Ribes fragrans'' <small>Lodd.</small> |''Ribes longiflorum'' <small>Nutt.</small> |''Ribes odoratum'' <small>H.L.Wendl.</small> |''Ribes odoratum'' var. ''intermedium'' <small>(Spach) Rehder ex A. Berger</small> |''Ribes palmatum'' <small>Deshmukh</small> |''Ribes tenuiflorum'' <small>Lindl.</small> }} }} '''''Ribes aureum''''', known by the common names '''golden currant''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=RIAU|taxon=Ribes aureum|accessdate=22 October 2015}}</ref> '''clove currant''', '''pruterberry''' and '''buffalo currant''', is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Ribes'' native to North America.<ref>{{PFAF|Ribes aureum}}</ref>

== Description == The plant is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub, {{convert|2|-|3|m|ft|frac=2|abbr=off}} tall.<ref name="tktimb">{{Cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLbAAwAAQBAJ |title=Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest |last2=Kuhlmann |first2=Ellen |date=2014 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-1-60469-263-1 |edition=1st |location=Portland, OR |pages=200}}</ref> The leaves are {{Convert|1.5-4|cm|frac=4}} long,<ref name="tktimb" /> green, semi-leathery,<ref name=":0" /> with 3 or 5 lobes; they turn red in autumn.<ref name="alison">{{eFloras|1|250063214|Ribes aureum|family=Grossulariaceae|first=Nancy R.|last=Morin}}</ref>

The plant blooms in spring with racemes of conspicuous golden yellow flowers, often with a pronounced, spicy fragrance similar to that of cloves or vanilla. Flowers may also be shades of cream to reddish, and are borne in clusters of up to 18.<ref name="usda">[https://web.archive.org/web/20121017095349/http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Ribes%20aureum.pdf USDA Species Profile]</ref><ref name="tktimb" /> The shrub produces berries about {{Convert|1|cm|frac=8|abbr=on}} in diameter from an early age. The ripe fruits are amber yellow to black.<ref name="usda" /> Those of variety ''villosum'' are black.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-25 |title=Ribes aureum var. villosum (Clove currant) {{!}} Native Plants of North America |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RIAUV |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin}}</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed |Ribesaurea8pl.jpg|Leaves |Ribes aureum20120505 14.jpg|Flower close-up |Ab plant 1315 (Ribes aureum).jpg|Berries close-up |Ribes aureum var. aureum- ripe-fruit in the Wenatchee foothills Chelan County Washington.png|Berries of ''R. aureum'' var. ''aureum'' |Ribes Odoratum.JPG|Berries of ''R. aureum'' var. ''villosum'' }}

== Taxonomy == The species belongs to the subgenus ''Ribes'', which contains other currants such as the blackcurrant (''R.&nbsp;nigrum'') and redcurrant (''R.&nbsp;rubrum''), and is the sole member of the section ''Symphocalyx''.<ref>{{GRIN}}</ref>

=== Varieties === * ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''aureum'': below {{convert|3,000|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in the western U.S.<ref>[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4450,4451,4453,4454 Jepson Manual treatment for ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''aureum'']</ref> * ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''gracillimum'': below {{convert|3,000|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in the California Coast Ranges<ref>[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4450,4451,4453,4455 Jepson Manual treatment for ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''gracillimum'']</ref> * ''Ribes aureum'' var. ''villosum'' – clove currant (syn: '''''Ribes odoratum'''''); native west of Mississippi River, but naturalized further to the east<ref name="efloras">{{eFloras|1|250065805|Ribes aureum var. villosum|family=Grossulariaceae|first=Nancy R.|last=Morin}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat == ''Ribes aureum'' is native to Canada and the central United States west of the Mississippi River, but has escaped cultivation and naturalized in the eastern United States.<ref>{{PFAF|Ribes odoratum}}</ref><ref name="efloras" />

It can be found around gravel banks and plains around flowing water.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Taylor|first=Ronald J.|title=Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary|publisher=Mountain Press Pub. Co|year=1994|isbn=0-87842-280-3|edition=rev.|location=Missoula, MT|pages=42|language=en|oclc=25708726|orig-year=1992}}</ref>

==Ecology==

Pollinators of the plant include hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. The fruit is eaten by various birds and mammals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-27 |title=Ribes aureum (Golden currant) {{!}} Native Plants of North America |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RIAU |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin}}</ref>

This currant species is susceptible to white pine blister rust (''Cronartium ribicola''), a fungus which attacks and kills pines, so it is sometimes eradicated from forested areas where the fungus is active to prevent its spread.<ref name="usda" /><ref name="fs">{{FEIS |genus=Ribes |species=aureum |type=shrub |last=Marshall |first=K. Anna |date=1995}}</ref>

==Cultivation== ''R. aureum'' is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, in traditional, native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects.<ref>[http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ribes-aureum-aureum Las Pilitas Nursery horticultural treatment: ''Ribes aureum''] . accessed 1.30.2013</ref> Named cultivars have been also introduced.

Although the flowers are hermaphroditic, the yield is greatly benefited by cross-pollination.

==Uses== The fruits are edible raw, but are very tart or bitter.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fagan|first=Damian|title=Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert|publisher=FalconGuides|year=2019|isbn=978-1-4930-3633-2|location=Guilford, CT|pages=127|oclc=1073035766}}</ref> They are usually cooked with sugar and can be made into jelly.<ref name=":0" /> The flowers are also edible.<ref name="usda" /><ref name="alison" />

The berries have been used for food, and other plant parts for medicine, by various Native American groups across its range in North America.<ref name=usda/><ref>[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Ribes+aureum University of Michigan (Dearborn): Ethnobotany]</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Ribes aureum|''Ribes aureum''}} * [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4450,4451,4453 Jepson Manual Treatment – ''Ribes aureum''] * [https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RIAU United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Ribes aureum'' (golden currant)] * [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Ribes&Species=aureum University of Washington, Burke Museum] * [http://www.tropicos.org/Image/100163868 Line drawing for Flora of Pakistan] * {{PFAF|Ribes aureum}} * {{CalPhotos|Ribes|aureum}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q149376}} {{-}}

aureum Category:Flora of Canada Category:Flora of the United States Category:Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Category:Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Category:Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Category:Garden plants of North America Category:Drought-tolerant plants Category:Plants described in 1813