chokecherry
Prunus virginiana · Rosaceae
chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a perennial tree in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 2 and warmer, down to about -43°F.
⚠ Invasive or noxious status. USDA lists this plant with an invasive or noxious weed status somewhere in its range. Check your state's noxious weed list before planting it — in some states it is illegal to sell or plant.
⚠ Allelopathic. USDA flags this plant as releasing compounds that can suppress the growth of plants near it. Give neighbours extra room, and expect some companions to struggle regardless of how well their conditions match.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 25 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.2–8.4 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 2 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
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 needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.2 to 8.4 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 2.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 25 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. 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 13 to 65 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 20 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it highly palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated high, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Prunus
- American plum Prunus americana
- Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia
- bitter cherry Prunus emarginata
- desert almond Prunus fasciculata
Similar role and hardiness
- Rocky Mountain maple Acer glabrum
- netleaf hackberry Celtis laevigata
- Arnold hawthorn Crataegus ×anomala
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus
- Japanese flowering crab apple Malus floribunda
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PRVI, 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: active growth period, Allelopathy, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Invasive status, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, 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, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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