American Black Currant vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

American Black Currant vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Ribes americanum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Ben Sarek Black Currant
American Black Currant

Ben Sarek Black Currant is a compact, high-yielding Black Currant cultivar, making it ideal for smaller gardens and easy berry picking. The large clusters of flavourful, sweet-tart berries ripen in mid-summer and are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, baked goods, and liqueurs. Plants may start producing some berries after two years, reaching full production in about four to five.

Developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Ben Sarek Black Currant is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to white pine blister rust. It is self-fertile, meaning it does not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

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.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: layering - low
Spreading: seeds - medium
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid-summer
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant