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Aronia x prunifolia is often confused with:
Aronia melanocarpa Form
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Aronia arbutifolia Aronia arbutifolia
Aronia melanocarpa Form
Amelanchier laevis Form

Aronia x prunifolia

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
ar-OH-nee-ah BY proo-nih-FOE-lee-ah
Description

Purple Chokeberry is a deciduous suckering shrub native to Eastern USA in the rose family. It grows 10 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide with upright stems forming a rounded shrub to a small tree. The clusters of white flowers appear in May and are followed by clusters of purple fruits in summer that persists into winter. The berries are very astringent raw giving it the chokeberry name and are best used cooked.

This shrub will tolerate a wide range of soil types including boggy ones and will grow in full sun to partial shade. It can be used in naturalized areas where it can spread by suckers, in shrub borders and along pond or stream margins.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#white#black#deciduous#fall color#small tree#full sun tolerant#white flowers#shrub#purple leaves#tree#red leaves#winter interest#fall interest#wet sites#poor soils tolerant#purple fruits#dry soils tolerant#partial shade tolerant
 
Form in bloom
Form in bloom Elizbeth Haber CC BY-NC 4.0
Flowers
Flowers Maja Dumat CC BY 2.0
Ripening fruits
Ripening fruits Chris Light CC BY-SA 4.0
Ripe fruits
Ripe fruits Evan Rashin CC BY-NC 4.0
Leaves
Leaves Evan Rashin CC BY-NC 4.0
Underside of leaf
Underside of leaf Evan Rashin CC BY-NC 4.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#white#black#deciduous#fall color#small tree#full sun tolerant#white flowers#shrub#purple leaves#tree#red leaves#winter interest#fall interest#wet sites#poor soils tolerant#purple fruits#dry soils tolerant#partial shade tolerant
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Aronia
    Species:
    x prunifolia
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Eastern US
    Wildlife Value:
    Fruit attracts birds.
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Food Source
    Edibility:
    Fruits are edible and best used in jams and jellies
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Rounded
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Occasionally Wet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Purple/Lavender
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Winter
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    1/3 inch lustrous purplish-black drupes that persist into winter.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Corymb
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    This plant has 0.5-in., white flowers on terminal corymb.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Purple/Lavender
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblanceolate
    Obovate
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Description:
    Alternate, simple, dark green leaves with lighter undersides with hairs. Wine-red to purplish-red fall color.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Pond
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Pollinator Garden
    Rain Garden
    Winter Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Attracts:
    Pollinators
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Dry Soil
    Poor Soil
    Wet Soil