Herb: Red Chokeberry


Latin name: Aronia arbutifolia


Synonyms: Pyrus arbutifolia


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Edible parts of Red Chokeberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. It can also be dried and used for making pemmican. Fruit quality is rather variable, some forms are rather pleasant when fully ripe, especially if they have experienced some frost. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter, it can hang on the plant for several months.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

Low woods, thickets, swamps, damp pine barrens etc.

Propagation of Red 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. 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 woods, thickets, swamps, damp pine barrens etc.

Medicinal use of Red Chokeberry:

None known

Known hazards of Aronia arbutifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.