Shrub · Grossulariaceae

Golden currant

Ribes aureum · includes its varieties and subspecies

Golden currant is recorded as native to 24 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 498 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Golden currant at a glance

Native in: 498 counties, across 24 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b PLANTS minimum temperature −38°F
Mature height: 10 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade Low water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −38°F; zone 3b winters bottom out at −35°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 498 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arizona 8 counties
Arkansas 10 counties
California 21 counties
Colorado 35 counties
Idaho 32 counties
Iowa 4 counties
Kansas 83 counties
Michigan 14 counties
Minnesota 14 counties
Missouri 4 counties
Montana 32 counties
Nebraska 30 counties
Nevada 16 counties
New Mexico 11 counties
North Dakota 13 counties
Oklahoma 28 counties
Oregon 18 counties
South Dakota 27 counties
Tennessee 1 county
Texas 14 counties
Utah 28 counties
Washington 15 counties
Wisconsin 19 counties
Wyoming 21 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 10 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Rhizomatous
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: Low water use
Drought tolerance: Medium
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: None
Precipitation range: 12 to 20 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Medium
pH range: 6 to 8
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: High
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: High
Minimum root depth: 20 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −38°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 150
Fire tolerance: Medium

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Yellow
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Mid Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Red

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Grossulariaceae
PLANTS symbol: RIAU

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Ribes aureum (PLANTS symbol RIAU), including 1 variety or subspecies folded into the species.
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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