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Golden Currant
Ribes aureum var. aureum
  
About Golden Currant (Ribes aureum var. aureum) 17 Nurseries Carry This Plant One of two recognized varieties of the species Ribes aureum, all known by the common name Golden Currant, it is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub 6-10 feet tall. It is native to the inland mountains of California, primarily the Sierras. It tends to have a more upright form than Ribes aureum var gracillimum. It blooms in spring with racemes of conspicuous golden yellow flowers that gradually turn red. Flowers often have a fragrance similar to that of cloves or vanilla. The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Leaves are green, shaped similarly to gooseberry leaves, and turn red in autumn. The plant is deciduous from late December to early February. The shrub produces berries about half an inch in diameter from an early age. Ripe fruits, amber yellow to black in color, are edible, and attract a wide range of birds. This plant is recommended for higher elevation gardens.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
6 - 10 ft tall
6 ft wide

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Birds are attracted to the berries

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 68 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is available. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with Maple (Acer sp.), Alder (Alnus sp.), Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), Western Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Dogwood (Cornus sp.), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), wild Azalea (Rhododendron columbianum or occidentale), Wild Rose (Rosa sp.), Meadow Rue (Thalictrum fendleri), Snowdrop Bush (Styrax officinalis), Yellow Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum).

Propagation
Propagation?
Seed or cuttings

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11, 12, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moister areas, canyon bottoms, near creeks, typically in mountains between 2500 and 7800 ft.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.8" - 40.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.51" - 2.63", Coldest Month: 24.5" - 43.7", Hottest Month: 54.9" - 72.9", Humidity: 1.08" - 25.93", Elevation: 1930" - 8247"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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