Jahns Prairie Gooseberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Jahns Prairie Gooseberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides Jahns Prairie

Vaccinium membranaceum

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Jahns Prairie Gooseberry
Mountain Huckleberry

Jahns Prairie Gooseberry produces large, delicious red fruit.

Found in the Red Deer River valley by Dr. Otto Jahn in 1984. This cultivar was found to resist insects and disease, tolerate frost, and produce high quality fruit.

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

Jahns Prairie Gooseberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high


Fall colour: yellow
Berries: red-pink berries
Berries: dark purple
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: mid to late July
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON, YT, NT
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry