CLOVE CURRANT
(Ribes odoratum)

A bush of clove currant

Family: Grossulariaceae (earlier Rosaceae)

Synonyms: Ribes aureum var. villosum

Other names: Buffalo currant, yellow flowered currant, golden currant, Missouri currant.

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Clove currant is native to Missouri area of the United States.  It mostly occurs on limestone bluffs along the Current and White Rivers in southern Missouri.  Its flowers emit a characteristic fragrance resembling that from cloves.  Hence it is called clove currant.

Clove currant flowers

Description:

A thornless deciduous arching shrub, 1.2 – 1.8 m high, dioecious; leaves 3-5 lobed, ovate to round, blue-green that turn dull yellow in fall.

Flowers yellow to orange, fragrant, borne in racemes, fragrant, emitting clove like smell.

Fruit a round berry, 8-10 mm wide, black at maturity.

Uses:

This plant bears black fruits having a tart-sweet flavour.  These are quite pleasant to eat. The fruits are borne in clusters; the skin is smooth, tough and very thick. The fruit ripens late; the period of ripening is unusually long.

            As the fruit is rich in pectin, so it makes very good jellies, preserves and pies. 

             This fruit can be planted in informal hedge or as a screen or as a background plant for native plant gardens.

Cultivation:

Clove currant is a fairly cold hardy plant and also easy to grow.  It is a hardy plant and can withstand temperature upto – 25 C.  New plants can be raised from seed, semi-hardwood cuttings and by simple layering.  The plant does best in sunny locations but will also grow if there is partial shade.  The best soil pH range for this fruit is 6.1 to 7.8.

            Plants should be planted at a distance of 60-90 cm.  The water needs are average; however, excessive irrigation might turn out to be injurious.

            Clove currant is, however, susceptible to a few diseases. Under wet, humid conditions, anthracnose and leaf spot can be serious problems. It is also susceptible to blight, currant aphid, scale, and currant bud mite.

            Varieties:  Crandall, Crandleberry, Pruterberry and Pewterberry.