Ribes aureum is a variable complex and several forms have been treated as distinct species in the past. The current thinking is to treat the complex as one species with distinct forms recognized as varieties[]. These varieties may seem to intergrade. In California, var. aureum occurs in sagebrush scrub or coniferous forests at higher elevations (800-2600 m) than var. gracillimum; the sepals of var. aureum are longer than those of var. gracillimum (5-8 mm versus 3-4 mm), and its hypanthium is noticeably shorter relative to the sepals. Leaves of var. aureum are more highly lobed and are sparsely glandular in the Pacific Northwest and less lobed and more densely glandular in the southwest. In most of its range, var. villosum is so conspicuously villous as to be unmistakable; in the west some plants with strikingly long hypanthia are scarcely villous[].

Common Name: Golden Currant

General Information

Ribes aureum is an erect, deciduous shrub growing 100 - 300cm tall[]. The plant can spread by suckers, especially in moist soils, and can form thickets[].
The plant is harvested from the wild fpr local use as a food and a medicine. It is occasionally cultivated as a fruit crop in Europe, more commonly so in Russia, Uzbekistan and adjacent republics[, ]. It is suitable for use as an ornamental as well as for sheltering hedges[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. America - Alberta to Quebec and Maine, south to California, Texas, Tennessee and Maryland

Habitat

By streams, in ravines and on mountain slopes[, ]. Rocky slopes and sandy bluffs[]. Moist banks, forests; at elevations up to 3,000 metres. Alluvial areas, foothill woodlands, forest edges; at elevations from 100 - 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.40 m
Pollinators	Bees, Beetles, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ribes aureum is very cold hardy, when dormant it can tolerate temperatures falling to around -35°c[, ].
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality[]. Succeeds in full sun but is also quite tolerant of shade though not fruiting so well in such a position[]. Grows well on exposed dry sites[] and in poor soils[]. Succeeds in somewhat salty soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties[].
Very tolerant of being transplanted[]. Plants can spread by means of underground rhizomes, especially when growing in moist conditions[].
The fruit is often multiplied by seeds to produce plants for fruit production[]..
A very ornamental plant[].
The plant can survive moderate fires, regrowing from the roots and germinating seeds, though in severe fires it is likely to be killed[].
White pine blister rust, caused by the pathogen Cronartium ribicola, is a fungal disease that is native to Asia but has spread via human activity to many other regions, where it has become more virulent. It has a complex life-cycle that requires both currants (Ribes species) and white pines (Pinus species of the section Strobus) for the disease to spread. Whilst Ribes species can generally live with the disease (it has an annual life-cycle and infects the leaves only) Pinus species can be devastated by it (it becomes perennial and spreads through the tree). Young pines are far more susceptible than mature trees. In America the growing of certain Ribes species is banned in some areas in order to protect plantations of white pine species.
Ribes aureum is a major host of pinyon blister rust in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, and of pinyon leaf rust in New Mexico[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , , , ]. The tasteful blackish berries are eaten raw or used in jellies, sauces and pies[]. They make an acceptable dessert fruit[] and are also used in jellies, sauces and pies[]. The fruit can also be dried for winter use[, ]. Fairly large and flavourful[, ]. The globose, usually red, orange, brown, or black, rarely yellow, fruit is 5 - 12mm in diameter[, ].

Flowers - raw. A very sweet flavour[].

Medicinal

The dried and pulverized inner bark has been sprinkled on sores[]. A decoction of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of leg swellings[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant can be used to make sheltering hedges[].
With its spreading root system, the plant has some value in stabilizing soils[]. It can be used to revegetate roadsides and disturbed areas, including mine spoils[].

Other Uses

The plant is much used in Europe as a root stock for tall stem currants and gooseberries[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at -2 to +2°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible[, ]. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[, ].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors[, ].
Root cuttings or suckers[].