Plant Data Sheet

 

photo of Ribes aureum

Species (common name, Latin name)

Golden Currant, ribes aureum

 

Range

East slope of the Cascades, north Central Washington to California east to the east side of the Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan and South Dakota to New Mexico

 

Climate, elevation

Golden currant grows on fine- to course-textured loam soil at elevations up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m).

 

Local occurrence (where, how common)

East slope of the Cascades, north Central Washington

 

Habitat preferences

Streambanks and washes in grassland or sagebrush desert to ponderosa pine forest

 

 

Plant strategy type/successional stage (stress-tolerator, competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)

Golden currant can be used to revegetate roadsides and disturbed areas

 

Associated species

Ribes aureum gracillimum, Ribes cereum, Ribes sp., Ribes viscosissimum

 

May be collected as: (seed, layered, divisions, etc.)

Seed, cuttings semi-hardwood simple layering and transplanted. 

 

Collection restrictions or guidelines

Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle

 

Seed germination (needs dormancy breaking?)

Seed germination is generally enhanced by scarification.  About 63 percent germination was obtained in the laboratory by stratifying golden currant seeds at 28 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.2 and 2.2 deg C) for 60 days without scarification

 

Seed life (can be stored, short shelf-life, long shelf-life)

Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more

 

Recommended seed storage conditions

Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at -2 to +2°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible

 

 

Propagation recommendations (plant seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame.  Very tolerant of being transplanted.  Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, July/August in a frame.  Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors

 

 

Soil or medium requirements (inoculum necessary?)

6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

 

Installation form (form, potential for successful outcomes, cost)

Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and Grow seeds in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year

 

Recommended planting density

Adequate space for a decidious shrub growing to 2.4m.  Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart in rows 6 to 8 feet apart

 

 

 

 

Care requirements after installed (water weekly, water once etc.)

Sun or partial sun, remove flower blossoms from plants in the first year to encourage plant establishment and growth for future years.  Give some afternoon shade here, amended soil and regular summer water.  Also give adequate drainage. 

 

 

Normal rate of growth or spread; lifespan

Golden currant reproduces vegetatively by rhizomes; it sprouts

after cutting and fire.  Plants can also be grown from cuttings

 

 

Sources cited

 

http://www.cwnp.org/photopgs/rdoc/riaureum.html

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/ribaur/botanical_and_ecological_characteristics.html

 

 http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Ribes+aureum&CAN=COMIND

 

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:_AR2h1S5oxgJ:www.santaana.org/Garden%2520Ctr/trees_shrubs.pdf+ribes+aureum,+planting,+water+weekly&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4

 

 

 

 

Data compiled by (student name and date)

Steven Campbell 4-12-06