Lowbush Cranberry vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Lowbush Cranberry vs Bilberry

Viburnum edule

Vaccinium myrtillus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Lowbush Cranberry
Bilberry

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

Bilberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Flowers: white
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: red, edible
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer to early fall
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, BC
Other Names: high bush cranberry, highbush cranberry, mooseberry, moosomin, pembina, pimbina, squashberry
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry