Lowbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Lowbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant

Viburnum edule

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Lowbush Cranberry
American Black Currant

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.

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.

Lowbush Cranberry Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: white
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: red, 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, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: high bush cranberry, highbush cranberry, mooseberry, moosomin, pembina, pimbina, squashberry
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant