Alpine Currant vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Alpine Currant vs Northern Bayberry

Myrica pensylvanica

Ribes alpinum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Northern Bayberry
Alpine Currant

Northern Bayberry makes an excellent hedge or feature shrub. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They produce blue-grey berries that have a wax coating on them that can be used to make candles or soaps.

In colder hardiness zones the leaves turn an attractive orange to red colour in the fall, making it a striking addition to your landscape.

Northern Bayberry is native to Nova Scotia and tolerates both drought and wet conditions. It is also a nitrogen fixer that tolerates poor soil conditions.

Alpine Currant is a great shrub to plant along sidewalks, near building or at your property boundary as a hedge or accent species. It is widely used by commercial landscapers in parking lots and near buildings because of its hardiness, attractiveness, and pollution tolerance.

While Alpine Currant produces edible berries, they are not palatable.

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Alpine Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no
Berries: blue-gray
Berries: small, bright red
Flowers: greenish yellow and fragrant
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: low



Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.

Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub
Other Names: mountain currant