Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Viburnum opulus var. americanum (trilobum)

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

American Black Currant
Highbush Cranberry

American Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub known for its clusters of small black berries that ripen in mid-to-late summer. The berries are edible and have long been used for fresh eating, preserves, and baking. They provide food for birds and mammals, and their fragrant spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

American Black Currant’s foliage serves as a host plant for butterfly species such as the Green Comma and Gray Comma, and its dense branching offers cover for wildlife. The shrub has traditionally been planted in shelterbelts, riparian buffers, and restoration projects.

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.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Flowers: white clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: black, edible
Berries: edible red berries
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
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, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: american cranberrybush, american cranberrybush viburnum, high bush cranberry, kalyna