Occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011
Many of the native wildflowers at Cherry Canyon are actually flowering shrubs. One of the prettiest is also one of the easiest to identify — Golden Currant (Ribes aureum), which truly lives up to its name when it’s richly covered with small golden blossoms. Sometimes the blossoms are tinged with deep red, which makes them even prettier!
Golden Currant manifests as a medium to large shrub, but the shrub begins as a tangle of individual canes. In sunny locations, it will likely lose its leaves in the fall, but with a dose of shade, it may hang onto at least some of its leaves year-round.
Some weeks after its blossoms fall, Golden Currant will produce smallish round berries, bright red to blackish red. Unlike its close cousin, Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry (R. speciosum), Golden Current does not harbor nasty thorns. Its berries are also quite a contrast from the other Ribes species at Cherry Canyon! Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry has bland-tasting berries covered in prickles. The berries of White-flowering Currant (R. indecorum) are slightly hairy and a bit tart. But Golden Currant has some of the tastiest berries in the genus — round, red, smooth, and usually sweet and juicy. Unless, of course, our local birds (particularly the California Thrasher) get there first!
Where and when to find it. As is the case for most of our wildflowers in Southern California, the blooming season of Golden Currant is heavily dependent on when (and if) the winter rains fall — but also on whether it’s found in a sunny location or in partial shade. It generally follows White-flowering Currant by about a month or so, with blossoms opening in mid-January and possibly lingering into mid-April. Golden Currant is found here and there along most of the trails at Cherry Canyon, but the bottom and top sections of Liz’s Loop are especially reliable.
- For more about Golden Currant, visit Wikipedia.
- For information about growing Golden Currant in your yard, visit Calscape.org.
- For distribution maps, taxonomy, and more photos, visit Calflora.org.
- And go here to read other occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011.
