Witch Hazel vs Alpine Currant - TreeTime.ca

Witch Hazel vs Alpine Currant

Hamamelis virginiana

Ribes alpinum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Witch Hazel
Alpine Currant

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 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 Quick Facts

Alpine Currant Quick Facts

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


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