Lowbush Cranberry vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Lowbush Cranberry vs Northern Bayberry

Myrica pensylvanica

Viburnum edule

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Bayberry
Lowbush Cranberry

Northern Bayberry makes an excellent hedge or feature shrub. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They produce blue-grey berries that have a wax coating on them that can be used to make candles or soaps.

In colder hardiness zones the leaves turn an attractive orange to red colour in the fall, making it a striking addition to your landscape.

Northern Bayberry is native to Nova Scotia and tolerates both drought and wet conditions. It is also a nitrogen fixer that tolerates poor soil conditions.

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.

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Lowbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none

Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.

Flowers: white
Berries: blue-gray
Berries: red, edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub
Other Names: high bush cranberry, highbush cranberry, mooseberry, moosomin, pembina, pimbina, squashberry