Ribes aureum
{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Golden currant
| image = Ribes aureum var aureum 4.jpg
| image_caption = R. aureum var. aureum, Spring Mountains, Nevada.
| status = {{TNCStatus}}
| status_system = TNC
| genus = Ribes
| display_parents = 2
| parent = Ribes sect. Symphocalyx
| species = aureum
| authority = Pursh 1813
| synonyms_ref = {{ThePlantList |id=kew-2426191 |taxon=Ribes aureum}}
|synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true
|Chrysobotrya aurea (Pursh) Rydb.
|Chrysobotrya intermedia Spach
|Chrysobotrya lindleyana Spach
|Chrysobotrya odorata (H.L.Wendl.) Rydb.
|Chrysobotrya revoluta Spach
|Coreosma longiflora Lunell
|Coreosma odorata (H.L.Wendl.) Nieuwl.
|Ribes aureum var. longiflorum (Nutt.) Jancz.
|Ribes aureum var. tenuiflorum (Lindl.) Jeps.
|Ribes flavum Berland.
|Ribes fragrans Lodd.
|Ribes longiflorum Nutt.
|Ribes odoratum H.L.Wendl.
|Ribes odoratum var. intermedium (Spach) Rehder ex A. Berger
|Ribes palmatum Deshmukh
|Ribes tenuiflorum Lindl.
}}
}}
Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant,{{PLANTS|id=RIAU|taxon=Ribes aureum|accessdate=22 October 2015}} clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.{{PFAF|Ribes aureum}}
Description
The plant is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub, {{convert|2|-|3|m|ft|frac=2|abbr=off}} tall.{{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}} The leaves are {{Convert|1.5-4|cm|frac=4}} long, green, semi-leathery, with 3 or 5 lobes; they turn red in autumn.{{eFloras|1|250063214|Ribes aureum|family=Grossulariaceae|first=Nancy R.|last=Morin}}
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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20121017095349/http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Ribes%20aureum.pdf USDA Species Profile] 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. Those of variety villosum are black.{{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}}
{{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. nigrum) and redcurrant (R. rubrum), and is the sole member of the section Symphocalyx.{{GRIN}}
= Varieties =
- Ribes aureum var. aureum: below {{convert|3,000|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in the western U.S.[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4450,4451,4453,4454 Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. aureum]
- Ribes aureum var. gracillimum: below {{convert|3,000|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in the California Coast Ranges[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4450,4451,4453,4455 Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. gracillimum]
- Ribes aureum var. villosum – clove currant (syn: Ribes odoratum); native west of Mississippi River, but naturalized further to the east{{eFloras|1|250065805|Ribes aureum var. villosum|family=Grossulariaceae|first=Nancy R.|last=Morin}}
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.{{PFAF|Ribes odoratum}}
It can be found around gravel banks and plains around flowing water.{{Cite book|last=Taylor|first=Ronald J.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25708726|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}}
Ecology
Pollinators of the plant include hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. The fruit is eaten by various birds and mammals.{{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}}
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.{{FEIS |genus=Ribes |species=aureum |type=shrub |last=Marshall |first=K. Anna |date=1995}}
Cultivation
R. aureum is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, in traditional, native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects.[http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ribes-aureum-aureum Las Pilitas Nursery horticultural treatment: Ribes aureum] . accessed 1.30.2013 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.{{Cite book|last=Fagan|first=Damian|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1073035766|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}} They are usually cooked with sugar and can be made into jelly. The flowers are also edible.
The berries have been used for food, and other plant parts for medicine, by various Native American groups across its range in North America.[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Ribes+aureum University of Michigan (Dearborn): Ethnobotany]
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}}
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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