Goji Berry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Goji Berry vs American Black Currant

Lycium barbarum

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Goji Berry
American Black Currant

Goji Berry is a woody, deciduous perennial known for its hearty, bright orange-red berries. It typically produces light lavender flowers from June through September, with fruit maturation taking place between August and October.

Goji Berry berries are delicious, nutrient rich, high in antioxidants, and are often called a super fruit. Many describe their flavour as being like a tart cherry tomato.

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.

Goji Berry Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 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: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: lavender or purple
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: small orange-red berries (1-2 cm) that are considered a "superfood". Berries ripen between July and October
Berries: black, edible
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: goji, wolfberry
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant