Ribes aureum

Golden currant

Family: Grossulariaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Golden currant is a California native shrub found in various bioregions, growing in diverse habitats at moderate elevations. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces vibrant yellow flowers in small clusters of 5 to 15 blossoms. Growing to nearly 3 meters tall with glabrous or slightly puberulent stems, the shrub develops without nodal spines. Its firm leaves are light green, wedge-shaped to slightly heart-shaped, typically 1.5 to 5 centimeters long and often glandular when young. The fruit is a small, glossy orb 6 to 8 millimeters in diameter, which can ripen to red, orange, or black.

California counties: Los Angeles, Mono, Modoc, Siskiyou, Plumas, Sacramento, Monterey, Inyo, San Mateo, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Lassen, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Ventura, Lake, Alameda, Stanislaus, Riverside, Yolo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.