Common Caragana vs Northern Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Common Caragana vs Northern Black Currant

Ribes hudsonianum

Caragana arborescens

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Northern Black Currant
Common Caragana

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.

Common Caragana is a fast growing shrub that's known for its exceptional hardiness and drought tolerance. Although it's most commonly planted in shelterbelts, Common Caragana is also an excellent hedge or feature shrub.

Note: in warmer areas, this species can be difficult to contain once planted. Use the right plant in the right place.

Northern Black Currant Quick Facts

Common Caragana Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to prostrate, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: small white, in clusters
Flowers: yellow, in spring
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Fruit: pod like fruits
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: bitter
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, YT, NT
Other Names: hudson bay currant, stinking currant, western black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: black karagana, caragana, pea tree, siberian pea shrub, yellow acacia