Ribes cereum
wax currant
Family GrossulariaceaeAlso called whisky currant
About
Ribes cereum, the wax currant, is a spineless, resin-dotted currant of western North America with small tubular white-to-pink flowers and orange-red berries.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- One field guide describes the berries as somewhat toxic; eating many may cause a burning feeling in the throat.
- Mature size
- 20 cm to 2 m (8 in to 6.5 ft) tall.
Field notes
Morphology
A spreading or erect shrub 20 cm to 2 m tall with fuzzy, glandular, spineless stems. Grey-green, rounded leaves 1.5–2.5 cm long have 3–5 shallow toothed lobes and visible resin glands. Clusters of 2–9 tubular white to pink flowers are followed by fairly tasteless orange-red berries up to 1 cm.
Distribution & habitat
Western North America: British Columbia, Alberta and much of the western US east to the western Dakotas and the Oklahoma Panhandle. Found in mountain and alpine forests, sagebrush and woodland on sandy, clay, serpentine and lava soils.
Ecology
The berries are an important food for deer and are eaten by other animals.
History & etymology
Some Native American peoples ate the berries; the Zuni ate the fruit of var. pedicellare and the leaves with mutton or deer fat.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Canada, United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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