Meadowsweet vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Meadowsweet vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Filipendula ulmaria

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

American Black Currant
Meadowsweet

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.

Meadowsweet gets its name from its sweet fragrance from the creamy white flowers. It is a large upright herbaceous perennial shrub. They bloom in early summer, and with the right conditions may remain throughout the season.

Take care of where you’re planting Meadowsweet as it is known to spread.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Flowers: white
Bloom time: spring to early summer
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: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: bride wort, mead wort