Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Small Cranberry - TreeTime.ca

Thunderchild Flowering Crab vs Small Cranberry

Malus x adstringens Thunderchild

Vaccinium oxycoccos

CUSTOM GROW

Thunderchild Flowering Crab
Small Cranberry

Thunderchild Flowering Crab is a hybrid crab apple known for its attractive and fragrant dark pink blossoms and deep purple mature leaves.

Tree farmers will find this hybrid appealing as a pollinator for other apples, while home growers will enjoy the red pome's ability to attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings in the early spring.

This species is reportedly resistant to fireblight.

Small Cranberry is a native evergreen groundcover found in bogs, fens, and wet meadows. It produces delicate pink flowers that attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, and it serves as both a nectar source and host plant for the Bog Fritillary (Boloria eunomia) butterfly. By late summer, the plant bears deep red berries that are eaten by both wildlife and people. With their high pectin content, the berries are well-suited for making jams and jellies.

Often creeping among sphagnum moss, Small Cranberry thrives in cold, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils (pH 2.9–4.7), making it well adapted to northern wetland environments. With its woody stems, it is technically classified as a shrub and often described as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. It is also valuable for wetland restoration and naturalisation projects.

Note: We use Small Cranberry for Vaccinium oxycoccos. This species is also known by many other common names, including Bog Cranberry, Small Bog Cranberry, and others. Please confirm the scientific name to ensure you are ordering the correct plant.

Thunderchild Flowering Crab Quick Facts

Small Cranberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $22.99 - SAVE UP TO 23%
Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.2 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: creeping, ground cover
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, layering - medium
Suckering: none


Foliage: dark purple leaves
Foliage: small, leathery, evergreen
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: dark pink blossoms
Flowers: pink, nodding with reflexed petals
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Fruit: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red pomes that hang through the winter
Berries: small red cranberries, edible
Flavor: tart
Harvest: late summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: marshberry, small bog cranberry, swamp cranberry