Herb: Purple Chokeberry


Latin name: Aronia prunifolia


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Purple Chokeberry:

Fruit - dried and used for making pemmican. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Low woodlands.

Propagation of Purple Chokeberry:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. Pre-soak stored seed overnight and then cold stratify for 3 months at 2°C. The seed germinates in 1 - 3 months at 15°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in late spring. Since this species is believed to be a hybrid it will probably not breed true from seed. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Division of suckers in the dormant season. Very easy, they can be planted straight out into their permanent positions. Layering.

Cultivation of the herb:

Low woodlands.

Medicinal use of Purple Chokeberry:

None known

Known hazards of Aronia prunifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.