Northern Red Currant vs Witch Hazel - TreeTime.ca

Northern Red Currant vs Witch Hazel

Ribes triste

Hamamelis virginiana

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Red Currant
Witch Hazel

The Northern Red Currant is also known as the Swamp Red currant due to its preference for moist soil. As long as the soil is wet, this shrub can live in any degree of sunlight.

The currant itself is a bright red-purple berry enjoyed by many animals and some people for its sour flavour, similar to garden red currants. The flowers of this shrub are tiny and red or greenish-purple.

Witch Hazel is a deciduous shrub, or small tree, with a short trunk, bearing numerous spreading, crooked branches.

The seeds grow in a long, wooden pod with two to four seeds per pod. Upon ripening, the pods burst, firing the seeds up to 30km an hour.

The leaf and bark extract of Witch Hazel has been used as a remedy to common ailments such as inflammation, bruises and much more for many centuries.

Northern Red Currant Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: none
Suckering: medium


Flowers: reddish or greenish purple
Berries: shiny, sour, bright red
Seeds: seeds ejected to a distance of up to 30 ft
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: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: swamp red currant