Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) (red chokeberry)

Aronia ×prunifolia (Marshall) Rehder (pro sp.)

Adenorachis atropurpurea (Britton) Nieuwl.

Aronia floribunda (Lindl.) Spach nom. illeg.

Aronia floribunda (Lindl.) Sweet

Mespilus prunifolia Marshall

Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. var. atropurpurea (Britton) Seymour

Aronia atropurpurea Britton

Photinia floribunda (Lindl.) K.R. Robertson & Phipps

Pyrus arbutifolia (L.) L. f. var. atropurpurea (Britton) B.L. Rob.

Pyrus floribunda Lindl.

Sorbus arbutifolia (L.) Heynh. var. atropurpurea (Britton) C.K. Schneid.

Aronia floribunda (Lindl.) Spach

Aronia prunifolia (Marsh.) Rehder

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	×prunifolia

About plant names...

Wild chokeberries like the red chokeberry are native to eastern North America.

Identification: These reach up to 8' (2.4 m) in height, with a spread of about 4' (1.2 m). They are composed of many thin, flexible stems and assume a tall, thin overall shape. Leaves are alternate, obovate, 1½-3½" (3.8-8.9 cm) × ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm), shiny on top, finely hairy and grayish green below, with fine serrations. In the fall, leaves are reddish purple or bright red. Blooms are white, sometimes pinkish, with five petals, about ¼" (6.3 mm) around, and fragrant. Berries are bright red and fairly hard, about ⅜" (9.5 mm), like tiny apples. Berries are about ¼" (6.3 mm) around, in clusters, and last well into winter. Don’t confuse chokeberries and chokecherries.

Parking lot · 9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

10/18/2008 · Kimball’s Ice Cream, Westford, MA
≈ 12 × 8" (29 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

	*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

Edibility: The berries are not poisonous, but they are so tart that they cause choking. Cooked and sweetened, they find their way into jams, syrups, tea, and wine. Native North Americans used these fruits in pemmican.

Online References:

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) on

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) on plants.ces.ncsu.edu

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

10/18/2008 · Kimball’s Ice Cream, Westford, MA
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm) ID is uncertain

Aronia ×prunifolia (pro sp.) description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

10/4/2008
≈ 13 × 9" (33 × 22 cm) ID is uncertain

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, MA
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm) ID is uncertain

Parking lot · 9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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