Lowbush Cranberry vs Oregon Grape - TreeTime.ca

Lowbush Cranberry vs Oregon Grape

Viburnum edule

Berberis aquifolium (Mahonia aquifolium)

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Lowbush Cranberry
Oregon Grape

Lowbush Cranberry is a short, deciduous shrub native to North America. Its white flowers bear sour but edible fruit that ripens to a brilliant red in fall. Lowbush Cranberry's small size makes it suitable for urban use; buyers will also find it useful if trying to reclaim land back to its original species or when landscaping with native species in damp conditions.

Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrub native to North America, found along the Pacific coast. In spring, the bright golden-yellow flowers appear in clusters above the leaves. These flowers eventually give way to edible blue berries in late summer. While not a true grape, the berries appear grape-like due to their colouring and clustered growth. They can be eaten fresh, but the sour taste and high amounts of natural pectin make them well suited for preserves.

The Oregon Grape has leaves that are glossy, leathery, and spiny-edged. This feature gives it its alternate name of Holly-leaved Barberry. When the leaves emerge in the spring they are a bronze-red colour. In the summer they transition to green, followed by bright red to deep burgundy in the fall. Leaves are retained throughout the winter and colder temperatures cause the leaves to turn purplish bronze, providing year round interest to the landscape.

Lowbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Oregon Grape Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 5a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: bright red to deep burgundy
Berries: red, edible
Berries: blue to purple, large
Flowers: white
Flowers: yellow
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: medium




Other Names: high bush cranberry, highbush cranberry, mooseberry, moosomin, pembina, pimbina, squashberry