Aronia x prunifoliaPurple chokeberry
科:蔷薇科
Family:Rosaceae
common name:Purple chokeberry
introduce:Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: Eastern North America
Height: 8 to 12 feet
Spread: 6 to 9 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Color: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium moisture
Maintenance: Low
General Culture:
Easily grown in average, medium wet, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Wide range of soil tolerance including boggy soils. Best fruit production usually occurs in full sun. Remove root suckers to prevent colonial spread. Plants reportedly come true from seed.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
Aronia x prunifolia is a hybrid deciduous shrub that is called purple chokeberry (or purple-fruited chokeberry) in recognition of its purple berries. It is considered to be a natural hybrid between Aronia melanocarpa and Aronia arbutifolia. It typically grows slowly to 8-12?tall. It tends to sucker somewhat like amelanchiers (serviceberries). Clusters (corymbs) of 5-petaled, white (sometimes tinged pink) flowers (1/2?across) appear in spring. Flowers are followed by abundant purple fruits (1/3?diameter) which appear in dense clusters along the branches. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist throughout fall and well into winter. Obovate to elliptic, dark green leaves (to 3?long) are grayish-green and hairy beneath. Foliage turns wine red in autumn. Common name of chokeberry is in reference to the tart and bitter berries which are technically edible but so astringent as to cause choking in those who try. This hybrid was originally named Aronia prunifolia with a range of Newfoundland to Ontario south to Virginia and Indiana.
No serious insect or disease problems. Some susceptibility to leaf spots and twig/fruit blight.
Uses:
Group or mass in shrub borders or woodland areas. Ability to withstand wet conditions makes it suitable for growing on the margins of ponds or streams. Also effective in naturalized areas where its suckering, colonial growth habit does not need to be restrained.
