Aronia Berry vs Northern Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Aronia Berry vs Northern Black Currant

Ribes hudsonianum

Aronia melanocarpa

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Black Currant
Aronia Berry

Northern Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub found across Canada and the northern United States. Dark purple to black berries that ripen in summer and provide food for wildlife and humans. Fragrant yellow-green flowers that attract a wide variety of pollinators.

This shrub is well adapted to moist soils and can even survive periods of flooding. It has an interesting bronze colour in fall.

Aronia Berry produces black fruit that is often considered too astringent. This is why they are also referred to as Black Chokeberry. It is native to Eastern Canada and the Eastern United States. White to pink flowers appear in the spring which provides a nice contrast to the dark green foliage. In fall the leaves turn a vibrant orange to red.

It has a fast growth rate, strong roots, and can tolerate growing in wet soils. This makes it well suited for various projects including forming hedges, bank stabilization, erosion control, and in wetter riparian areas. They are also well suited as an understory plant as it grows well under other trees.

Aronia berries have their own unique flavour. The polyphenols and anthocyanins are touted as healthy antioxidants and lots of research seems to be underway on the health benefits of this fruit.

Northern Black Currant Quick Facts

Aronia Berry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 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, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to prostrate, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: red to orange color
Flowers: small white, in clusters
Flowers: whitish-pink
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: black, edible
Berries: small black berries, edible
Flavor: bitter
Flavor: astringent
Harvest: mid to late summer
Harvest: late summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: hudson bay currant, stinking currant, western black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: black choke berry, black chokeberry