Side by side
Flowering currant or mezereon? How to tell them apart
Ribes sanguineum · Daphne mezereum
How to tell them apart – flowering currant: flowers later, in hanging clusters, and has lobed leaves; mezereon: low, sparsely branched little shrub that flowers in February–March on bare stems, with strongly scented pink flowers pressed close to the stem.
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How do you recognise them?
- Flowering currant
- Thornless shrub that is hung with clusters of pink to red flowers in April; the leaves have a pungent smell.
- Compared with mezereon: flowers later, in hanging clusters, and has lobed leaves.
- Mezereon
- Low, sparsely branched little shrub that flowers in February–March on bare stems, with strongly scented pink flowers pressed close to the stem.
| Flowering currant | Mezereon | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 4–10 cm, round with 3–5 lobes, irregularly toothed, somewhat wrinkled and felted underneath; pungent and spicy when crushed. | Alternate, crowded at the shoot tips, 3–10 cm, narrowly oblanceolate, untoothed, soft and hairless; appears only after flowering. |
| Flowering | Hanging to spreading clusters of pink, red or white flowers in April, together with the leaves (March–May). | Pink to purplish-pink, four-lobed flowers in twos to fours against the bare stem, from February to April, before the leaves; very fragrant (February–April). |
| Fruit | Bluish-black berries with a waxy bloom; edible, but insipid. | Glossy scarlet berries against the stem, in June–July; highly poisonous. |
| Bark | Brown twigs without prickles. | Upright, greyish-brown, very tough stems. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1.5–2.5 m | Shrub, 0.5–1.5 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Pruning months | April–May | March–April |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Mezereon is poisonous to people and pets: take care with children and animals.
- Mezereon is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Flowering currant
- Plant profile: Mezereon
- Flowering currant: when and how to prune
- Mezereon: when and how to prune
- Identification key
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Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.