Canadian Buffaloberry vs Illini Hardy Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Canadian Buffaloberry vs Illini Hardy Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

Shepherdia canadensis

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Illini Hardy Blackberry
Canadian Buffaloberry

The Illini Hardy Blackberry was developed in Illinois for northern growers, and produces a large, juicy blackberry with medium-sweet flavor. The berries are ready for harvest in midsummer, and go great in preserves.

The Illini Hardy Blackberry, or the Illinois Blackberry, are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

Canadian Buffalo Berry is a native deciduous shrub found throughout North America. This hardy, medium-sized shrub will tolerate poor soil conditions and produces attractive, edible–though very bitter–red fruit.

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Canadian Buffaloberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: dark green with silver undersides
Flowers: tiny, red
Berries: black
Berries: red bitter berries (edible)
Flavor: medium
Harvest: July
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: illinois blackberry
Other Names: canada buffalo berry, canada buffaloberry, canadian buffaloberry, foam berry, foamberry, russet buffaloberry, soap berry, soapberry, soopolallie