Description

Landscaping: Black chokeberry is a deciduous, cold-hardy shrub useful in landscape plantings, showing white flowers in the spring and colorful red foliage and heavy, dark fruit in the fall.

Wildlife: Plants are browsed by white-tailed deer and rabbits. The fruit are eaten by ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens.

Economic: Aronia berries can be canned whole or the juice extracted for jelly making, as well as healthful fruit drinks. The juice contains high levels of anthocyanins (source of red color) and flavonoids. The strong, stable natural color is useful in the food industry. This plant is extensively grown in Europe, where yields of up to 38 pounds of fruit per bush have been reported.

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Bismarck Plant Materials Center

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