Description
Red Chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia
TREEPOT 5″ x 5″ x 14″
Light: Full Sun, Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium, Moist
Soil: Sand, Loam, Clay
Height: 6–10 feet
Spread: 3–6 feet
Bloom Season: April
Bloom Color: White to Light Pink
Benefits: Pollinators, Birds
Notes:
Aronia arbutifolia, is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub that is native to both wet and dry thickets in Eastern North America. Its form is vase-shaped.
The best fruit production usually occurs in full sun. Remove root suckers to prevent spreading as a colony. They are useful for erosion control on slopes.
Flowers appear in clusters of white to light pink, 5-petaled flowers (1/3”diameter) in the spring. Butterflies and pollinators are attracted to the flowers for nectar. Then the flowers are followed by clustered, glossy red fruits (1/4” diameter). Fruits ripen in late summer and stay on the shrub throughout fall and into the winter. Plant in full sun for best fruit production. Fruits are sometimes used to make jams and jellies.
Birds, especially Robins and Cedar Waxwings, Cardinals, and Juncos eat the fruits during winter when other food is scarce, providing a vital food source.
Red chokeberry foliage turns bright red in the fall. Color brilliance is comparable to the invasive burning bush—so plant red chokeberry instead!
Photo credits:
1, 3, 4, 5 – Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org
2 – John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
