Blackcurrant vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Blackcurrant vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Ribes nigrum

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

American Black Currant
Blackcurrant

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.

Blackcurrant is a medium-sized shrub producing delicious, deep purple to black sweet berries suitable for jams, jellies, syrups and cordial.

Our Blackcurrant is grown from seed from the "Ben" series of Blackcurrant cultivars, developed by the Mylnefield Research Station in Scotland with a focus on cold hardiness and heavy commercial fruit production. Our seedlings will be slightly different due to hereditary differences but will be very similar to this series.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Blackcurrant Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
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
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: black, edible
Berries: dark purple to black berries
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: european black currant