Witch Hazel vs Bristly Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Witch Hazel vs Bristly Black Currant

Ribes lacustre

Hamamelis virginiana

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Bristly Black Currant
Witch Hazel

Bristly Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub that grows in moist forests, swamps, and riparian areas. In summer, it produces clusters of dark purple to black berries that provide food for wildlife, while its reddish-purple flowers attract pollinators. The berries are technically edible and enjoyed by some, but many find them unpleasant and bitter.

Thriving in moist soils and shaded locations, Bristly Black Currant helps stabilize soil and supports diverse habitats. It is valuable for conservation plantings, wetland restoration, riparian buffers, and naturalization projects.

Note: When crushed, the berries are known to release an offensive odour.

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.

Bristly Black Currant Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium, layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: prickles may cause an allergic reaction

Bark: reddish brown with prickles
Flowers: small maroon-green clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: dark purple with hairs, edible
Flavor: tart, unpleasant
Harvest: mid to late summer
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, PE
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: black gooseberry, black swamp gooseberry, bristly black gooseberry, bristly currant, bristly swamp currant, prickly currant