Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Canada Plum & American Plum - TreeTime.ca

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Canada Plum & American Plum

Hippophae rhamnoides l.

Prunus nigra and americana

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry)
Canada Plum & American Plum

Sea Buckthorn, aka Seaberry, is a nitrogen fixing shrub that produces attractive berries high in vitamin C.

While we can't confirm claims that the berries are effective in treating various ailments, many people believe consuming the berries helps with arthritis, infections, and asthma, among other things.

Sea Buckthorn plants have attractive pale silvery-green leaves, dense branches, and large thorns, people like to grow in ornamental hedges or as a first row in a shelterbelt.

Note: Sea Buckthorn is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Both are required for fruit production, though only female plants bear fruit. A plant’s sex typically cannot be identified until its third or fourth year. Our seedlings are too young to determine their sex.

Canada and American Plum are almost identical in appearance and growth needs. These plants are short and stout fruit trees native to North America.

This hardy ornamental is excellent for both city dwellings as well as rural areas. During the spring, the white and pink blossoms are long lasting. The tasty fruit is suitable for fresh eating, baking, and preserves. These trees are not widely distributed and pure seed can be hard to come by.

Both are commonly used as rootstock and are considered universal pollinizers for other plum varieties.

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) Quick Facts

Canada Plum & American Plum Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $1.29 - SAVE UP TO 82%
Lowest Price: $9.99 - SAVE UP TO 41%
Zone: 2b
Zone: 2b
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: high


Foliage: slender silvery-green leaves
Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Berries: small, edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 - 1.2 m (3 - 4 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: sallowthorn, sandthorn, seaberry
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum