Northern Gooseberry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Northern Gooseberry vs American Black Currant

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Gooseberry
American Black Currant

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.

American Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub known for its clusters of small black berries that ripen in mid-to-late summer. The berries are edible and have long been used for fresh eating, preserves, and baking. They provide food for birds and mammals, and their fragrant spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

American Black Currant’s foliage serves as a host plant for butterfly species such as the Green Comma and Gray Comma, and its dense branching offers cover for wildlife. The shrub has traditionally been planted in shelterbelts, riparian buffers, and restoration projects.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: purple or purplish black
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL, YT, NT
Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant