Aronia melanocarpa seed

LATIN NAME: Aronia melanocarpa

COMMON NAME: Black Chokeberry

The black chokeberry is the dark berry of the autumn hedge, and the flat clusters of the small, white flowers open above the glossy leaves. The upright, deciduous shrub carries the oval, glossy, finely toothed leaves and the flat clusters of the small, white flowers with the pink stamens through the late spring, to be followed by the glossy, black berries that hold on through the winter, one of the fine, bold sights of the autumn garden. The berries are a fine, generous presence of the modern hedge, and the shrub is a plant of the open, sunny to partly shaded, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The black chokeberry is a modern subject of the plant science, and the dark berries keep showing up in the work on the cold-hardy fruit shrubs. The chemistry of the berries, which hold the deep pigments of the autumn fruits, has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the cold-hardy berries, the ornamental fruit shrubs and the members of the rose family. The oval, glossy leaves and the upright habit have also made it a fine study shrub, and the black chokeberry is a regular subject of the work on the dark berries of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The black chokeberry is a fine, generous shrub of the autumn hedge and the fruit garden. The flat clusters of the small, white flowers open through the late spring, to be followed by the glossy, black berries that hold the deep pigments and press into the dark juices and the jams of the modern kitchen, while the leaves turn into the fine, scarlet and orange flames of the autumn. The shrub is one of the fine choices for the hedge, the berry bed and the autumn border, and it has been written about in the horticultural and the culinary papers for the dark berries and the autumn flames. It is a fine, generous shrub of the open, sunny to partly shaded, moist, well-drained garden.

Cut the old canes out in the late winter and the fresh, strong shoots will come again from the base.

To grow the black chokeberry from seed, sow the small, brown seeds a centimetre down in trays of coarse, free-draining soil, keep the trays in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings come up in their own good time and grow on steadily. With the sun or the light shade and the moist, well-drained ground, the dark berries will come in the years ahead.

Culture: Remove root suckers to prevent colonial spread.
Uses: Good ornamental for shrub border, grouped or massed in native plant gardens, open woodland or naturalized areas where its colonial growth habit need not be restricted. Suitable for growing along ponds, streams or water gardens.