Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’ (Red chokeberry)

Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’

Red chokeberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Aronia	From the Greek aria, which is the specific epithet of a mountain ash (Sorbus aria) which has similar fruit
Species	arbutifolia	Having leaves like Arbutus unedo, the Spanish madrone
Cultivar	‘Brilliantissima’

About plant names...

This is a red chokeberry cultivar. Wild chokeberries are native to eastern North America.

Edibility: The berries are not poisonous, but they are so tart that they cause choking. Wild red chokeberry can be cooked and sweetened, but I couldn’t find any edibility information for this cultivar.

Identification: These reach up to 8' (2.4 m) in height, with a spread of about 4' (1.2 m). Blooms are white and fragrant. Berries are bright red and fairly hard, about ⅜" (9.5 mm), like tiny apples. In the fall, the foliage turns bright or deep ruby red. Don’t confuse chokeberries and chokecherries:

4/24/2007 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.4 × 6.3 cm)

10/22/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

	You are here Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’	*Prunus virginiana*
Common Name	red chokeberry	common chokecherry
Plant	6-15' (1.8-4.6 m) high	A large shrub or small tree up to 18' (5.5 m) high
Flowers		Bunches (“racemes”) of 15-30 white flowers, each about ½" (1.3 cm) in size
Leaves	Leaves turn deep ruby red in fall.	Fine serrations, dark above and pale green underneath
Fruit	Red, about ¼-⅜" (6.3-9.5 mm) in diameter, very sour	Bright red to dark red or black, ¼-⅝" (6.3-15 mm) in diameter, extremely sour
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-9
Habitats		Moist woods; stream banks; prairie hillsides; fence rows; rocky bluffs; roadsides
Type	Cultivar	Wild