Plant · P-449

Golden Currant

Ribes aureum

Golden currant is the heat- and drought-tolerant member of the currant family, holding on alkaline and limy ground where other currants fail. Its yellow spring flowers carry a clove-like scent, are edible and very sweet, and draw bees, butterflies and hummingbirds well before most other nectar sources open. Plains peoples ate the fruit fresh, dried, and worked into pemmican, and it still makes good jelly, sauce, pie and dried fruit today.