black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa · Rosaceae
black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) is a perennial shrub in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 9 and warmer, down to about 24°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 6 ft USDA |
| Light | shade USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.4–6.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 9 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It tolerates full shade. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 4.4 to 6.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 9.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 6 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is red, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 24 to 80 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 88 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Aronia
- red chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ARME6, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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