Silverberry (Wolf Willow) vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Silverberry (Wolf Willow) vs American Black Currant

Elaeagnus commutata

Ribes americanum

COMING SOON

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Silverberry (Wolf Willow)
American Black Currant

Silverberry (also known as Wolf Willow) is a common native North American shrub. This beautiful ornamental plant has characteristic silver leaves and fragrant yellow flowers.

Its silver berries remain on the branches through the winter. Silverberry is cold hardy and has some ability as a nitrogen fixer. It can grow on dry to moist sandy/gravel soils. This plant is very low maintenance.

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.

Silverberry (Wolf Willow) Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: silvery leaves
Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: yellow
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: silver, edible
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT, NU
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: american silverberry, silver berry, wolf willow
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant