Witch Hazel vs Alpine Currant - TreeTime.ca

Witch Hazel vs Alpine Currant

Ribes alpinum

Hamamelis virginiana

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Alpine Currant
Witch Hazel

Alpine Currant is a great shrub to plant along sidewalks, near building or at your property boundary as a hedge or accent species. It is widely used by commercial landscapers in parking lots and near buildings because of its hardiness, attractiveness, and pollution tolerance.

While Alpine Currant produces edible berries, they are not palatable.

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.

Alpine Currant Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium


Foliage: glossy green
Flowers: greenish yellow and fragrant
Berries: small, bright red
Seeds: seeds ejected to a distance of up to 30 ft
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: mountain currant