Ribes cereum
Common Name(s):
Wax Currant
Squaw Currant
Synonym:
Flower:
Pink
Blooms :
Apr
to:
Jul
Clusters of light-pink, bell-shaped flowers
Botanical Description
Fragrant?
YES
Family:
Grossulariaceae
Med - Lg Shrub (usually >3' and never < 1.5')
Foliage:
Green
The leaves are somewhat rounded and divided into shallow lobes which are toothed along the edges. The leaves are hairless to quite hairy, and usually studded with visible resin glands, particularly around the edges.
Fall Color?
YES
light-green foliage turning yellow in fall.
light-green foliage turning yellow in fall.
Photo by:
Heading 6
Oregon Native?
YES
West State Native?
YES
Origins:
It is native to western North America, including British Columbia, Alberta, and much of the western United States, from Washington, Oregon, and California east as far as the western Dakotas and the Oklahoma Panhandle
Site Selection
Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone:
5
Water Needs:
VL
Sun Needs:
Partial Sun
Deer Resistant?
NO
Firewise?
NO
Height:
3-6'
Spread:
3-6'
Growth Rate:
Fast
Native Habitat:
Dry slopes, rocky places, forest edges
Soil:
Dry, rocky or sandy soils.
Care Recommendations
Maintenance Level:
Low
Fertilizer:
Requires no fertilizer
Mulch:
2-3" layer of organic bark chips, gravel pebbles
Do not overwater, water every 2-3 weeks during dry summers, taper off watering in late fall, prune late winter/early spring, annually remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches, cut back 1/3rd of oldest stems to ground every few years, ensure good drainage, avoid over fertilizing, apply a balanced slow-release fertilizer in early spring, avoid planting near prines
Long Term:
Winter:
Stop watering, no pruning
Spring:
Clear away dead or damaged winter wood, ensure rocky or sandy soils drain well, light supplemtantal watering if dry, avoid fertilization
Summer:
Minimal infrequent watering, no heavy pruning
Fall:
Reduce watering, leave berries for the birds, skip major pruning, ideal time to plant new plants
General Care Comments:
Needs full sun, very well draining soil
Common Problems
Alternate host for white pine blister rust, can be invasive
Diseases:
White pine blister rust, powdery mildew, root and crown rot, anthracnose
Insects:
Currentworms, current borers, aphids, Rocky Mountain Agapema
Environmental Problems:
Drier warmer conditions, invasive weeds, fire sensitivity, herbivory pressures
Pests:
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