Northern Black Currant vs Black Crowberry - TreeTime.ca

Northern Black Currant vs Black Crowberry

Ribes hudsonianum

Empetrum nigrum

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Northern Black Currant
Black Crowberry

Northern Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub found across Canada and the northern United States. Dark purple to black berries that ripen in summer and provide food for wildlife and humans. Fragrant yellow-green flowers that attract a wide variety of pollinators.
This shrub is well adapted to moist soils and can even survive periods of flooding. It has an interesting bronze colour in fall.

Black Crowberry is a native evergreen shrub that forms low, spreading mats. It has unique foliage that spiral around the stem, and small dark berries, giving it visual appeal. The berries are edible, but can be acidic, so are not generally eaten fresh. In colder climates they have a sweet, tart taste, and are dried, used in deserts, or for making jams or jellies.
It provides food for birds and mammals, while its flowers attract pollinators such as bees. Its ability to grow in harsh climates makes it an important species for ecological balance.
Black Crowberry has historical significance as it provided a vital food source for the indigenous cultures of the arctic regions. It is abundant in Scandinavia and is used to make liqueurs, wines, and juices. In Newfoundland and Labrador the berries are known locally as ‘blackberries’ and are used in jams, jellies and baked goods like buns and puddings.

Northern Black Currant Quick Facts

Black Crowberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to prostrate, thicket-forming
Growth form: low growing, matt-forming
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: evergreen needle-like leaves
Flowers: small white, in clusters
Flowers: pink-red, very small
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Berries: black, edible
Berries: purplish-black, edible
Flavor: bitter
Flavor: bland, slightly bitter
Harvest: mid to late summer
Harvest: late summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU
Other Names: hudson bay currant, stinking currant, western black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: crakeberry, curlewberry, heathberry, northern crowberry