Chokecherry, Eastern choke cherry
Padus virginiana

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A tall shrub or small tree. It can be 9 m high. The trunk can be 15 cm across. The leaves are broadly oval. They are 5-10 cm long. They taper to both ends. It is dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are white. The appear in bottlebrush like clusters. These are 8-15 cm long. They are at the end of new short, leafy shoots. The fruit are in drooping clusters. The fruit can be yellow, red or purple. The fruit are edible. There are some named cultivated varieties.

There are about 200 Prunus species.

Where it is found

Temperate. It grows in rich, moist soil. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit is used for jams or jellies, juice, syrup and wine. They are dried and stored for later use. The green twigs are stripped of their bark and inserted into roasting meat to add flavour. The seed kernels are added to pemmican. The bark and twigs are used as a substitute for tea.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, bark - tea

How it is grown

They can be cultivated from seed, cuttings, suckers or dividing the crown of the plant.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cerasus virginiana (L.) Michx.; Prunus virginiana L.;