Chokeberry and its lookalikes
Chokeberry, chokecherry, nannyberry and blackthorn are different plants. Compare the fruit and the shape of the shrub before choosing one for preserves, wildlife or a thicket.
Choose this if
Seed grown shrubs from Aron, with variation in their growth, fruit and autumn colour.
Black chokecherry fruit (Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa), shown as a species illustration. Seed-grown plants can vary.
A compact suckering chokecherry for a naturalized thicket and fruit for wildlife.
Nannyberry
$15.00 CAD
A large native shrub or small tree with sweet blue black fruit, for preserves and birds.
Sloe or Blackthorn
$15.00 CAD
A dense thorny thicket with white flowers before the leaves and small blue black fruit.
A dash means our sources did not give that detail.
| Plant | Botanical name | Fruit and flavour | Use | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aron Chokeberry Seedlings | Aronia | Aron parent: astringent purple black berries. Seedlings may differ. | Parent fruit used for juice, wine and preserves; seedling traits vary | Parent description: late summer |
| Black Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa | Black fruit, reportedly often less astringent than eastern chokecherry | Wildlife; other uses not specified | Fruit can hang into early winter; harvest time not specified |
| Nannyberry | Viburnum lentago | Sweet blue black fruit | Preserves and birds | Late summer into early fall |
| Sloe or Blackthorn | Prunus spinosa | Small blue black fruit with a waxy bloom; flavour not specified | — | — |
What we know and do not know
Aron seedlings come from the named parent, but their fruit and growth can vary. The parent description is not a promise for every seedling. Chokecherry is a Prunus, not an Aronia.