BLACK CHOKEBERRY

(Aronia melanocarpa)

 A shrub of black chokeberry in full bloom

Family: Rosaceae

Black chokeberry is native of North America.  It can be seen growing through out the eastern United States and the adjoining southern Canada.  It is a highly adaptive plant growing almost everywhere in all kind of soils ranging from dry to swampy.

Description:

A woody shrub, 1-2 m high.

Leaves, elliptic or obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, acuminate or obtuse apex, 1-3" long, glabrous or nearly so. Margins finely serrate, petiole 1/4" or less.

Black chokeberry fruiting

Inflorescences glabrous, 1.5-2" wide, loose, containing 5-8 3/8" flowers, anthers reddish. whitish- pink flowers are borne in loose clusters of up to, these clusters can reach 2" in width

            Fruit a pome, 1/4" wide, globose, purplish-black.

Utilization:

Chokeberry fruits are highly astringent.  The name, “chokeberry”, is probably drawn from the fact that fruits are so astringent that if eaten fresh, these might choke the throat.  So these are not fit for eating fresh.  However, these can be very pleasant if taken with sweeteners.  So these are used for making juice which is already being marketed in the US by companies like Wildland.

            Chokeberry fruits have medicinal value too.  These have a high concentration of polyphenols and anthocyanins.  They are reported to protect the urinary tract and strengthen heart.

            The black pendulous fruits, which remain attached to the shoots even upto January, present a quite pleasant site making the plant suitable for landscaping.  These are considered to be good border plants. 

Cultivation

As already stated, black chokeberry is a highly adaptive plant.  It will grow almost everywhere in sunny as well as shady locations.

Red foliage of a black chokeberry shrub at the end of season

            New plants can be raised from seed as well as from softwood cuttings.  Some named varieties e.g. Autumn Magic, Viking, Morton etc. are also sold by some commercial nurseries.

            Black chokeberry best suited in mass plantings and borders due to its high quality summer foliage, flowers and fall foliage.

            It can also be used to check soil erosion.