Aronia x prunifolia
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ar-OH-nee-ah BY proo-nih-FOE-lee-ah
- Description
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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:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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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
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Rounded
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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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
