Flowering Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Flowering Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Vaccinium membranaceum

Rubus odoratus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Mountain Huckleberry
Flowering Raspberry

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

The Flowering Raspberry is an ornamental shrubby plant that blooms with fragrant light purple flowers throughout the summer and has a large, decorative foliage of bright green leaves. The flowers resemble that of a wildrose, and the foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall. This cultivar produces small red raspberries, similar to that of a thimbleberry, but the fruit is mostly tasteless.

The Flowering Raspberry, also known as Virginia Raspberry or Purple-Flowered Raspberry, makes a great hedge plant and is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Flowering Raspberry Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: high


Bark: thornless orange
Flowers: purple
Berries: dark purple
Berries: red to purple, seedy
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Flavor: tasteless
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON, YT, NT
Native to: ON, QC, NS
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry
Other Names: purple-flowered raspberry, virginia raspberry