Black Hawthorn vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Black Hawthorn vs American Black Currant

Crataegus douglasii

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Black Hawthorn
American Black Currant

Black Hawthorn is a versatile plant that is native to wetlands and other areas with moist soils, but can also tolerate dry soils. This plant can be grown as a short shrub, or a tree reaching 30 feet tall.

Black Hawthorn is valued for erosion control and attracting pollinators. It also makes an attractive flowering ornamental that can be planted as a specimen or pruned as a hedge. It is commonly used in shelterbelts.

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.

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: yellow to red
Fall colour: gold to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: white
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant