Ribes aureum Ribes aureum Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species in the genus "Ribes". It is native to Canada, most of the United States (except the southeast) and northern Mexico. The variety "Ribes aureum" var. "villosum" is sometimes considered a full species, Ribes odoratum. It belongs to the subgenus "Ribes", which contains other currants, such as the blackcurrant and redcurrant ("Ribes nigrum" and "rubrum"), and is the sole member of the section "Symphocalyx". "Ribes aureum" is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub, tall. Leaves are green, with 3 or 5
Ribes triste June and July. The fruit is a bright red berry, without the hairs that some currants have. The fruit is edible but rather sour. It is listed as endangered in Connecticut and Ohio, and as threatened in Pennsylvania. Ribes is listed a plant pest in Michigan and the planting of it in certain parts of the state is prohibited. Alaska Natives use the fruit as food, eating it raw, and making the berries into jam and jellies. Eskimos eat the berries and the Inupiat eat them raw or cooked, mix them with other berries which are used to make a