Herb: Golden Currant


Latin name: Ribes aureum


Synonyms: Ribes tenuiflorum


Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant Family)



Medicinal use of Golden Currant:

The dried and pulverized inner bark has been sprinkled on sores. A decoction of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of leg swellings.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
2.4 m
(7 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
April

Habitat of the herb:

By streams, in ravines and on mountain slopes. Rocky slopes and sandy bluffs.

Edible parts of Golden Currant:

Fruit - raw or cooked. They make an acceptable dessert fruit and are also used in jellies, sauces and pies. The fruit can also be dried for winter use. Fairly large and flavourful. The fruit is about 5mm in diameter. Flowers - raw. A very sweet flavour.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at -2 to +2°C and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year 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.

Cultivation of Golden Currant:

By streams, in ravines and on mountain slopes. Rocky slopes and sandy bluffs.

Known hazards of Ribes aureum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.