Grossulariaceae

golden currant

Ribes aureum Pursh

Indigenous Names: Crow (Apsáalooke) documented use, wičhágnaška hú, Ne’ibino Ne’ibi:s 193 (Meaning: “Goose” or “Good Berries” “Currant Bush”), E hyō’ wā tā sĭ’ mĭns, He wov he sta sti mintse, Po-gomp’-iv Kwatina=pi, HuaBcko:

Habitat: woodland; riparian; Well-drained, often along streams; plains to foothills; Alberta, Canada to New Mexico; Well drained soils, near streams, on plains to foothills from Alberta, Canada to New Mexico

Seasonality: summer; Not given; August and September; Ripen at the end of June or early July

Status: Native

Traditional Food Use

Crow

Berries eaten fresh or dried.

Arapaho

Berries eaten fresh or stored for winter use

Cheyenne

Pounded, dried berries formed into cakes for winter use Additional commentary: Also used to manufacture pemmican by combining dried buffalo meat, with dried berries, with rendered fat.606

Ute

Berries used for food

Comanche

Eaten for food.

Medicinal Documentation

Lakota

the inner bark is used to treat swellings wičhágnaška | Crow: Tea of bark and roots used for cramps.

Ceremonial & Cultural Notes

Ute

Some are collected and eaten raw. Other berries are mashed, formed into small cakes, sun-dried, and stored for winter use. The cakes would be boiled with deer fat.128

Botanical Reference

Parts Documented: bark, fruit_or_berry, Fruit, berries

Distribution: Native Plains species; documented Crow use; Well-drained, often along streams; plains to foothills; Alberta, Canada to New Mexico

View on USDA Plants Database ↗