Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla) vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla) vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Dasiphora fruticosa (Potentilla fruticosa)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla)

Ben Sarek Black Currant is a compact, high-yielding Black Currant cultivar, making it ideal for smaller gardens and easy berry picking. The large clusters of flavourful, sweet-tart berries ripen in mid-summer and are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, baked goods, and liqueurs. Plants may start producing some berries after two years, reaching full production in about four to five.

Developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Ben Sarek Black Currant is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to white pine blister rust. It is self-fertile, meaning it does not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

Shrubby Cinquefoil is a small, deciduous flowering shrub. This hardy species is densely covered with leaves and produces pale to bright yellow buttercup-shaped flowers terminally on the stems.

Flowering typically occurs from early to late summer. Shrubby Cinquefoil is a popular ornamental shrub choice and is capable of growing on a variety of sites.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla) Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: bright yellow cup-shaped
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NT, NU
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: tundra rose