Northern Red Currant vs Thimbleberry - TreeTime.ca

Northern Red Currant vs Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus

Ribes triste

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Thimbleberry
Northern Red Currant

Thimbleberry is an ornamental shrub with large, green maple-like-leaves. Flowers are attractive, fragrant, and turn into red-raspberry-like berries. The berries are good for jams, cakes, breads, muffins etc. If you remove the berry, the core resembles a thimble, giving this shrub its namesake.

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.

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Northern Red Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: none


Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: white, showy
Flowers: reddish or greenish purple
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Berries: shiny, sour, bright red
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry
Other Names: swamp red currant