Golden Currant vs Grouseberry - TreeTime.ca

Golden Currant vs Grouseberry

Vaccinium scoparium

Ribes aureum

CUSTOM GROW

Grouseberry
Golden Currant

Grouseberry is a native, low-growing deciduous shrub known for its edible red berries. In early summer, it produces small, urn-shaped flowers ranging from white to pink that attract bees and other pollinators. The berries provide an important food source for many types of wildlife, including game birds such as grouse, which gives the plant its common name. People can also enjoy the berries fresh or in baked goods, though they can be difficult to harvest in large quantities.

Spreading by rhizomes, Grouseberry forms dense, broom-like mats that help stabilize soil and prevent erosion, while also providing cover for ground-nesting wildlife. It is commonly found beneath conifers in open forests, subalpine meadows, and occasionally on rocky slopes in mountainous regions. It is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and soil stabilization projects.

Golden Currant produces berries for jams, jellies, sauces and even pemmican. This currant bush is very dense, allowing for use as a hedge, windbreak, or wildlife habitat.

This plant is also a very popular rootstock to graft popular red and white currant varieties to. The resulting plants are taller, more productive, and easier to harvest.

Grouseberry Quick Facts

Golden Currant Quick Facts

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Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: shade, partial shade
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: low growing, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: reddish
Fall colour: reddish purple
Flowers: small pink, bell-shaped
Flowers: yellow
Bloom time: spring
Berries: small, bright red, edible
Berries: glossy black berries
Flavor: tart
Harvest: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: dwarf red whortleberry, grouse whortleberry, little-leaved huckleberry, red alpine blueberry, small-leaved huckleberry
Other Names: buffalo currant, clove currant, fragrant golden currant, golden flowering currant, spicebush