Ribes odoratum

RHS Plant Profile
buffalo currant

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buffalo currant RHS
buffalo currant RHS
buffalo currant RHS

Other common names

clove currant, Missouri currant

Synonyms

Ribes fragrans Lodd.
Ribes aureum misapplied

Shrubs
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A spineless, upright shrub with hairy young shoots. Broadly ovate, 3-5 lobed, toothed bright green leaves turn red and purple in in autumn. In mid and late spring tubular fragrant yellow flowers are borne in pendent racemes 5cm long. Spherical black fruits follow

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Grossulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Ribes can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes spiny, with simple, usually palmately lobed leaves and small tubular or bell-shaped, solitary or racemose flowers borne in spring or summer, followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Central USA

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden

Pruning

Pruning group 2

Pests

May be susceptible to gall mites, gall midge and aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to a leaf spot, powdery mildews, coral spot and sometimes honey fungus