Ribes aureum
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant,[1] clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.[2]
Description
The plant is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub, Script error: No such module "convert". tall.[3] The leaves are Script error: No such module "convert". long,[3] green, semi-leathery,[4] with 3 or 5 lobes; they turn red in autumn.[5]
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.[6][3] The shrub produces berries about Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter from an early age. The ripe fruits are amber yellow to black.[6] Those of variety villosum are black.[7]
Script error: No such module "Gallery".
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.[8]
Varieties
- Ribes aureum var. aureum: below Script error: No such module "convert". in the western U.S.[9]
- Ribes aureum var. gracillimum: below Script error: No such module "convert". in the California Coast Ranges[10]
- Ribes aureum var. villosum – clove currant (syn: Ribes odoratum); native west of Mississippi River, but naturalized further to the east[11]
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.[12][11]
It can be found around gravel banks and plains around flowing water.[4]
Ecology
Pollinators of the plant include hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. The fruit is eaten by various birds and mammals.[13]
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.[6][14]
Cultivation
R. aureum is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, in traditional, native plant, drought tolerant, and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects.[15] 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.[16] They are usually cooked with sugar and can be made into jelly.[4] The flowers are also edible.[6][5]
The berries have been used for food, and other plant parts for medicine, by various Native American groups across its range in North America.[6][17]
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
- ↑ Template:PFAF
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Template:EFloras
- ↑ a b c d e USDA Species Profile
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:GRIN
- ↑ Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. aureum
- ↑ Jepson Manual treatment for Ribes aureum var. gracillimum
- ↑ a b Template:EFloras
- ↑ Template:PFAF
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:FEIS
- ↑ Las Pilitas Nursery horticultural treatment: Ribes aureum . accessed 1.30.2013
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ University of Michigan (Dearborn): Ethnobotany
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Ribes
- Flora of Canada
- Flora of the United States
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Plants used in Native American cuisine
- Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
- Garden plants of North America
- Drought-tolerant plants
- Plants described in 1813