Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Adaptability and agreeability make this shrub a dependable addition to most native plantings. With an easily managed size, pale flowers in the spring for pollinators showy fall color, and black berries in the fall for birds, what’s not to like?
Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic, Dry
Soil Type: Adaptable
Height: 3’-8’
Width: 3’-8’
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: May
Fruit: Blue/black berries mature in fall.
Fall Color: Orange, Red, Purple
Root Type: Taproot
Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract mainly small bees. Hosts the coral hairstreak butterfly, and the praeclara underwing and blueish spring moths. Berries are eaten by a variety of animals such as grouse, waxwings, fox, and squirrels. Commonly browsed by mammals.
Notes: Fruits are safe to eat but generally terribly bitter, hence the plant’s common name.