Northern Gooseberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Northern Gooseberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Vaccinium membranaceum

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: later this season)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Northern Gooseberry
Mountain Huckleberry

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

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.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 5a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Light: any
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: purple or purplish black
Berries: dark purple
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: mid to late summer
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high




Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry