Gray Dogwood vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Gray Dogwood vs Mountain Huckleberry

Cornus racemosa

Vaccinium membranaceum

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Gray Dogwood
Mountain Huckleberry

Gray dogwood is a thicket-forming, deciduous shrub with greenish-white blossoms in open, terminal clusters. Young twigs are red and the fruit pedicels remain conspicuously red into late fall and early winter.

Fruit itself is a white, 1/4 in. drupe that usually does not remain on the shrub for long.

Great for naturalizing wild areas, this shrub attracts birds and other wildlife.

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

Gray Dogwood Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 5a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: any
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high


Fall colour: deep, reddish puple
Berries: dark purple
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC
Native to: AB, BC, ON, YT, NT
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry