Red currant vs American black currant seeds
Red currants have bright, tart fruit suited to the kitchen. American black currants are native here, with a musky flavour and berries that can ripen unevenly on the same cluster.
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View seeds →Growing details
| Detail | Red Currant | American Black Currant |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit colour | Red | Black when ripe |
| Flavour | Bright and acidic | Musky, closer to clove currant than European black currant |
| Native background | European species | Native to Manitoba |
| Seed source | Locally grown Red Lake bushes | Wild Manitoba stands |
| Cold hardiness zone | 2 | 2 |
| Mature size | 3 to 4 ft | 4 to 5 ft |
A closer look
Red Currant
Red Lake is the parent of this seed lot, not a guaranteed cultivar identity for the seedlings. The nursery's parent bushes have remained productive for more than twenty years. Red currants carry fruit on older spurs rather than mainly on the young wood favoured by European black currants.
American Black Currant
Our American black currants can have green, yellow and black berries on a cluster at the same time. Their late, uneven harvest is part of the distinction from familiar cultivated currants, alongside their local native background.