General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Wet Mesic
Mesic
Dry Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Very strongly acid (4.5 – 5.0)
Strongly acid (5.1 – 5.5)
Moderately acid (5.6 – 6.0)
Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 8b
Plant Height: 3-10 feet
Plant Spread: 3 feet, spreading by suckering.
Leaves: Good fall color
Deciduous
Fragrant
Other: Alternate host to white pine blister rust and should not be planted in white pine areas.
Fruit: Edible to birds
Fruiting Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Flower Color: Red
Yellow
Other: Flowers are initially golden yellow, but turn reddish with age.
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Underground structures: Rhizome
Suitable Locations: Beach Front
Espalier
Uses: Windbreak or Hedge
Erosion control
Groundcover
Vegetable
Will Naturalize
Suitable for forage
Edible Parts: Fruit
Eating Methods: Raw
Cooked
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Birds
Butterflies
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Fire Resistant
Humidity tolerant
Drought tolerant
Salt tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Stratify seeds: Seeds may be fall sown or stratified. Stratify for three months. Relatively good germination of golden currant seeds was obtained by stratification at -2.2–2.2 degrees C for 60 days without scarification.
Days to germinate: A wet prechill of 60 to 90 days at 28 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) is often sufficient to reduce embryo dormancy. Seeds should be fall planted to provide a cold, moist period for maximum germination.
Depth to plant seed: 0.25 inches deep on a firm, weed free seed bed.
Suitable for wintersowing
Other info: Seeds retain good viability for 5 to 17 years if stored cool and dry in sealed containers.
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Other: Take softwood cuttings in June or July. These root well when treated with hormone and placed under mist.
Pollinators: Other: The flowers are somewhat self-compatible, but the style and anthers are physically separated in individual flowers. However, it requires insect cross-pollination to set a satisfactory crop.
Moths and Butterflies
Birds
Bees
Various insects
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Not suitable for containers
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Monoecious
Awards and Recognitions: Other: Nebraska GreatPlants Award

Image
Common names
  • Clove Currant
  • Fragrant Currant
  • Buffalo Currant
  • Golden Currant
  • Missouri Currant
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Ribes aureum var. villosum
  • Synonym: Ribes odoratum

Photo Gallery
Location: London, England
Date: 04/12/2023
photo by Marie Shallcross via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/phot
Location: Batavia, Illinois
Date: late April in 1997
flowers and emerging foliage

Photo courtesy of Joy Creek Nursery
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Batavia, Illinois
Date: late April in 1997
one backyard full-grown shrub
Location: In my garden, Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens, South Amana, IA
Date: 2009-04-29
Semi-vining cultivar

Credit NPS

Credit NPS

Credit NPS

Credit NPS

Credit NPS
Photo by SongofJoy
Location: In my garden, Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens, South Amana, IA
Date: summer
Location: In my garden, Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens, South Amana, IA
Date: 2010-04-24

Credit NPS
This plant is tagged in:
Image

Comments:
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jul 27, 2018 4:51 PM concerning plant:
    I've only seen one large shrub that was in the backyard of a friend in northeast Illinois in the 1990's. Its biggest attraction is that the yellow flowers are very fragrant, smelling like cloves, thus the name. The rounded black berries are loved by birds and good for humans to eat. It has a densely fibrous shallow root system that suckers some. Its native range is mostly out in the west of the USA from southwest Canada to Arizona & New Mexico, then areas of the Great Plains, then northern Arkansas to southwest Michigan to western Wisconsin to spots in Iowa. It can contract the White Pine Blister Rust that does not really damage this plant, but does damage the Eastern White Pine, the alternate host, so it should not be used in northern or central Wisconsin or Minnesota or similar northern areas where the rust fungus will damage White Pines. Farther south the fungus is not a problem.
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Feb 8, 2012 3:14 PM concerning plant:
    Valuable source of nectar and pollen for honey bees. They also get honeydew from this plant.

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