Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: wax currant, squaw currant

Family: Grossulariaceae (Currant)

Distribution: Central and Western United States, Western Canada

Habitat: Rocky hillsides and bluffs, open forests and woodlands, arroyos, scrublands

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3 (-40 to -30 °F)

Life form: Deciduous shrub/sub-shrub

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: The native range of wax currants extends from southwestern North Dakota to British Columbia, south through the midwestern and Rocky Mountain states and the intermountain west to New Mexico, Arizona and California. It is also widely cultivated. Throughout its range, it is found on rocky slopes or bluffs, or on ridges, in openings of woodlands or subalpine forests, and sagebrush shrub-lands at elevations up to about 13,000 feet. It grows best in full sun, but is sometimes seen in light shade at forest edges or openings. It grows in dry, rocky, sandy, clay, calcareous, or serpentine soils, or in lava beds. It grows in moist to dry soils. Wax currants reproduce solely by seed, and re-sprout to a limited extent when top-killed by fire. Seeds require scarification in order to germinate; low-severity fire scarifies and increases germination of soil-stored seeds.

Description: The wax currant is a multistemmed, densely branched shrub that grows 3-6 feet tall. The plant has a notably spicy scent. The stems are lightly hairy and dotted with glands. The small, waxy, gray-green, fan-shaped leaves (less than 1 inch long and up to 2 inches wide) have 3-5 indistinct lobes and distinct stalks (petioles). Drooping clusters of short-stalked, greenish-white or pinkish, narrowly tubular flowers have distinct, bright green styles. Flowers give rise to waxy, bright red or orange berries. The berries contain numerous seeds, and may be tasteless, unpalatable or with good flavor.