Viking Aronia Berry vs Bristly Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Viking Aronia Berry vs Bristly Black Currant

Aronia melanocarpa Viking

Ribes lacustre

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Viking Aronia Berry
Bristly Black Currant

Viking Aronia Berry is easy to grow, with black berries that are high in antioxidants. The Viking variety is much more productive than the non cultivar Aronia Berry. The berries can be eaten fresh but are found to be tart and bitter. They are more often used in baking, jams, juices, and wine. They have small, white flowers with a hint of pink that grow evenly on the shrub. The summer foliage turns a very attractive red in the fall.

The Viking Aronia Berry is a self-pollinating plant. Because of its uniformity and high yield, the Viking Aronia Berry is a popular cultivar.

Bristly Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub that grows in moist forests, swamps, and riparian areas. In summer, it produces clusters of dark purple to black berries that provide food for wildlife, while its reddish-purple flowers attract pollinators. The berries are technically edible and enjoyed by some, but many find them unpleasant and bitter.

Thriving in moist soils and shaded locations, Bristly Black Currant helps stabilize soil and supports diverse habitats. It is valuable for conservation plantings, wetland restoration, riparian buffers, and naturalization projects.

Note: When crushed, the berries are known to release an offensive odour.

Viking Aronia Berry Quick Facts

Bristly Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium, layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: prickles may cause an allergic reaction
Bark: reddish brown with prickles
Flowers: white
Flowers: small maroon-green clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: small black berries
Berries: dark purple with hairs, edible
Flavor: astringent
Flavor: tart, unpleasant
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: black chokeberry viking, viking chokeberry
Other Names: black gooseberry, black swamp gooseberry, bristly black gooseberry, bristly currant, bristly swamp currant, prickly currant