Among the flowering shrubs which are universally admired for the
fragrance and beauty of their early blossoms, the Missouri Currant
deserves more than a passing mention. Though introduced into New England
since the beginning of the present century, it has become a universal
favorite in our gardens, where it is cultivated chiefly for the
agreeable odor of its flowers, resembling that of cloves, and
penetrating the air on all still days in May. This shrub has a small
leaf with irregular pointed lobes, turning to a pale crimson in autumn.
The flowers are in small racemes like those of the common garden
currant, but brighter in their hues, which are of a golden yellow, and
producing only a few large berries of a pure shining black. This species
is chiefly prized for its flowers, and is not cultivated for its fruit.