Heritage Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Heritage Raspberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Rubus x Heritage

Vaccinium membranaceum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Heritage Raspberry
Mountain Huckleberry

The Heritage Raspberry is a deciduous thorny shrub that produces two crops in the year: a moderate one in early summer followed by a heavier harvest in the fall. This plant blooms with white, rose-like flowers and fruits with extra-sweet, dark red berries that are great for fresh eating, canning or freezing.

The Heritage Raspberry is a primocane-fruiting variety, meaning that it produces fruit on first years' growth. Prune stalks down each winter or early spring to get higher fruit yields and easier harvesting.

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.

Heritage Raspberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 5a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Berries: red
Berries: dark purple
Fruit size: large
Flavor: extra-sweet
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: June-July, September to October
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON, YT, NT
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry