Redwing Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Redwing Highbush Cranberry vs American Black Currant

Viburnum trilobum JN Select

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Redwing Highbush Cranberry
American Black Currant

The Redwing Highbush Cranberry is a dense multi-stemmed shrub that blooms with white pinwheel shaped flowers in spring. It produces small, red, and edible berries in late summer. Its leaves are green, but the tips become more saturated with red throughout the season, and then turn a stunning crimson colour in the fall.

The Redwing Highbush Cranberry makes a good addition to any urban garden or hedge, and its berries are commonly used to liven up preserves with their tart flavor.

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.

Redwing 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: 2.1 m (7 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: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: red tips on leaves
Fall colour: red/orange
Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: white, pinwheel shaped
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: small, red
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: sour
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: late August-February
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