Wentworth Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant

Viburnum trilobum Wentworth

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry
American Black Currant

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry is an ample producer that will make you think of the perfect cranberry sauce when you see it. Its huge fruit is delectable in jellies and sauces. In the spring it bears clusters of white flowers, contrasted against green vegetation that turns a rich red in the fall. Magnificent in garden borders or mass planting, you’ll appreciate your cranberry on your table and in your yard.

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.

Wentworth Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
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: brilliant red
Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: 12mm, edible red berries
Berries: black, edible
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
Other Names: wentworth redwing cranberry
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant