Chokecherry

Growing Conditions

Growing Zones

Thrives in USDA Zones 2 - 7

Companion Planting

When to Plant

• Transplant

  Plant bare-root stock in early spring or containerized nursery plants in spring to early summer

• Harvest

  Harvest clusters when berries are fully dark red to black and come off the stem easily; taste improves after first frost; process quickly as berries ferment rapidly

Organic Growing Tips

• Remove Eastern tent caterpillar egg masses (brown, foamy rings on twigs) in winter before they hatch.

• Prune out any black knot fungus galls immediately on sighting, cutting 4 inches below the gall into clean wood and disposing of cuttings.

• Process chokecherries within 1 - 2 days of harvest; the berries ferment quickly and the quality declines fast.

• Train to single trunk early if you want a tree rather than a thicket; remove suckers annually.

• Plant in groups of 2 or more for cross-pollination and heavier fruit set.

Common Pests

• Eastern Tent Caterpillar
• Black Knot Fungus
• Aphids
• Cherry Fruit Fly
• Shothole Fungus

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Family

Rose family (Rosaceae)

Genus

Prunus

Species

virginiana

Natural History

Prunus virginiana, chokecherry, is one of the most widely distributed and historically significant native trees of North America, growing from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific and from the subarctic forests of the Yukon south to northern Mexico. Its range encompasses virtually every climatic zone except the tropical southeast, making it the most ecologically versatile of the native cherries. The common name "chokecherry" refers to the intense astringency of the raw fruit, which causes a puckering sensation in the mouth strong enough to "choke" an unwary eater - yet this same astringency disappears almost entirely when the fruit is cooked or processed, yielding a richly flavoured dark cherry juice and preserve. Chokecherry was among the most important plant foods across the Indigenous nations of North America. The Lakota, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Comanche, Ojibwe, Haudenosaunee, and dozens of other nations all depended on chokecherries as a major component of pemmican - the concentrated dried-meat-and-berry food that was the essential caloric staple of plains and subarctic travel and winter food stores. In the Plains Indian tradition, whole chokecherries including the pits were pounded into a paste and dried into cakes; the pits were ground with the flesh and their cyanogenic glycosides, while present in raw form, appear to have been rendered less harmful by this processing and drying method, though this traditional processing method is not recommended for home use. The Métis of the Canadian prairies, the mixed-heritage communities descended from European fur traders and Cree and Ojibwe nations, developed chokecherry wine as a traditional craft beverage. In early American and Canadian settlement history, chokecherries were gathered commercially for jelly, wine, and medicinal syrup preparations.

Traditional Use

Chokecherry has one of the most extensive documented medicinal use traditions of any North American native plant, recorded across dozens of Indigenous nations from the subarctic to the Southwest. The bark was particularly valued as a medicinal preparation across many traditions, used in cough and respiratory remedies. The berries were used as food and in preparations for digestive complaints. The plant also figures prominently in Plains Indigenous ceremonial traditions. Early Euro-American physicians documented chokecherry bark as a medicinal ingredient, and "wild cherry bark" syrup became a standard pharmaceutical preparation by the 19th century.

• Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) people, Great Lakes region - Bark and berries

  Ojibwe ethnobotanical records document chokecherry as one of the most used medicinal plants in the Great Lakes tradition. Inner bark preparations were used for coughs, colds, and fever; berry preparations for digestive complaints; and the plant held significance in ceremonial and spiritual contexts. Daniel Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany database lists chokecherry as among the most widely used medicinal plants across all documented North American Indigenous traditions.

• Lakota and Plains peoples, Great Plains - Berries

  For the Lakota and other Plains nations, chokecherry was first and foremost a food plant of critical importance, incorporated into pemmican and cooked preparations. The dried berries were traded and served as emergency rations. Medicinally, berry juice and bark preparations appeared in treatments for diarrhea and respiratory complaints consistent with the wider Native tradition.

• American and European pharmaceutical medicine, 19th - early 20th century - Bark

  Wild cherry bark (from Prunus serotina, the closely related black cherry, and P. virginiana) appeared in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1820 through the mid-20th century, used in expectorant and cough syrup preparations. The compound prunasin in wild cherry bark is hydrolyzed to benzaldehyde and prussic acid during processing; the prepared syrup was standardized to contain subtherapeutic levels of these compounds while preserving the flavour and soothing properties. Wild cherry bark flavour remains in commercial cough syrups today.

The leaves, bark, and seeds (pits) of chokecherry contain cyanogenic glycosides (primarily prunasin) that release hydrogen cyanide when metabolized; these parts of the plant must never be eaten or used in food preparations. The ripe flesh of the berries themselves contains much lower levels and is safe when cooked and when the seeds are removed; traditional processing methods that ground whole berries including pits are not safe to replicate at home. Chokecherry fruit should always be cooked before eating; raw berries consumed in large quantities may cause nausea from the cyanogenic compounds in the skin and flesh. Keep the plant away from livestock, especially horses and cattle, for which wilted chokecherry leaves are acutely toxic.

This information is provided for historical and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions related to your health.

Morphology (Plant Structure & Identification)

• Root System

  Spreading, suckering root system that produces numerous root suckers, causing the plant to spread into thickets over time; roots are moderately deep and drought-tolerant once established.

• Stem

  Variable habit from a large multi-stemmed shrub to a small tree 15 - 30 feet tall; smooth gray-brown bark with characteristic bitter almond scent when scratched; multiple stems unless trained to single trunk.

• Leaves

  Alternate, oval to obovate, dark green, smooth-edged with fine serrations; 2 - 4 inches long; yellow in autumn; two small glands (nectaries) visible at the base of the leaf blade near the petiole.

• Flowers

  Dense cylindrical racemes of small white 5-petalled flowers 3 - 6 inches long; produced abundantly in May; strongly and sweetly fragrant; excellent for pollinators in early spring before many other trees bloom.

• Fruit

  Small drupes 0.3 - 0.5 inch in diameter in hanging clusters; ripening from red through dark red to nearly black in July - September; very astringent raw; sweet-tart and richly flavoured when cooked; the single pit contains toxic cyanogenic compounds and must be discarded.

Known Varieties

Common cultivars worth knowing

• Shubert (Canada Red)

  Ornamental selection with leaves that emerge green and turn deep purple-red by midsummer; widely planted as an ornamental street and garden tree as well as for fruit.

  Best for: Ornamental edible landscape, fruit production, zones 2 - 6

• Straight Species

  Seed-grown chokecherry with the greatest genetic diversity and best wildlife value; variable fruit quality but highest ecological benefit.

  Best for: Wildlife planting, food forest, naturalizing, zones 2 - 7

• Robert

  A more compact selection with reliable fruit production; bred for prairie garden conditions.

  Best for: Small garden spaces, prairie planting zones 2 - 5