Bracted Honeysuckle vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Bracted Honeysuckle vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Lonicera involucrata

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

American Black Currant
Bracted Honeysuckle

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.

Bracted Honeysuckle is a shade loving shrub that is distinguishable from other honeysuckles by its square stem and pointed leaves. Native to most of North America, this honeysuckle is found along swamps, rivers, riparian zones and moist wooded areas.

If you have a erosion control project in mind, consider Bracted Honeysuckle.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Bracted Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


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


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NU
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: bearberry honeysuckle, black twinberry, twinberry