Highbush Cranberry vs Black Raspberry - TreeTime.ca

Highbush Cranberry vs Black Raspberry

Viburnum opulus var. americanum (trilobum)

Rubus occidentalis

Highbush Cranberry
Black Raspberry

Highbush Cranberry produces attractive white flowers in late June and bears edible fruit that matures to a bright red colour in the late summer.

This shrub, native to much of Canada, is fast growing, and its fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into a sauce.

The Black Raspberry is a multi-stemmed shrub that produces edible red berries that deepen to black as they mature. The berries are flavorful and are great for fresh eating and preserves. Black Raspberry shrubs bloom in late spring with white, rose-like flowers and attract many pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Black Raspberries are floricanes primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth.

Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Black Raspberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $19.99
Lowest Price: $15.99
Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: white clusters
Berries: edible red berries
Berries: red to black
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Native to: ON, QC, NB
Other Names: american cranberrybush, american cranberrybush viburnum, high bush cranberry, kalyna
Other Names: bears eye blackberry, black cap, scotch cap