What is a chokecherry tree?
The chokecherry tree is a fruit-bearing leafy plant, growing up to 20 ft. (6 m) tall. The chokecherry is a perennial, deciduous suckering plant, which commonly grows as a multi-stemmed shrub. However, you can grow a single-stemmed chokecherry tree by removing the suckers that appear around the central trunk. What is Canada Red Chokecherry?
Where do chokecherries grow best?
They have a bitter or astringent taste, hence one of the common names bitter cherry. The fruit matures in the summer. Chokecherry can be found growing in moist alkaline soils along streams located in mountains, forest borders, clearings, and roadsides. The shrub can also grow in dry soils. It prefers full sun to partial shade.
How many petals does a chokecherry have?
Each individual flower has five petals and is attached to the raceme by a pedicel that is a quarter of an inch long. The fruit of the chokecherry is circular and looks like the cherry you find on cake toppings but is dark crimson to black in color. There can be as many as 20 fruits in a single cluster.
How do you propagate a chokecherry tree?
This encourages new, productive growth while maintaining the size and shape of the shrub. Propagating chokecherries can easily be done by means of cuttings: Using clean, sharp snips, cut away a stem around 6 inches longs. Trim the cutting at a slanted angle. Trim away the bottom set of leaves.
See more
Is chokecherry a good tree?
Virtues: Chokecherry is a great wildlife shrub/tree, providing food for the larvae of many species of butterflies and moths, and berries for birds and humans (the tart berries can be made into jams and jellies). It takes sun or shade and makes a good hedge, given its multiple stems and excellent leaf coverage.
How long does it take for a chokecherry tree to grow?
10 weeksIt takes 10 weeks for fruit to fully mature, which depending on location and elevation, is usually from July to September. Most plants will not begin fruiting heavily until their 3rd or 4th year. Planting and Spacing: Plant in the spring or fall to allow time for root establishment before summer heat.
What is the lifespan of a chokecherry tree?
The chokecherry has a relatively long lifespan of 20 to 40 years. After a plant has established, some varieties can produce up to 30 to 40 pounds of fruit per plant per year.
What is a chokecherry tree look like?
Chokecherry trees are recognizable by their dark green, ovate leaves with finely serrated margins and pointed tips. Also, look for cylindrical clusters of white spring flowers. In summer, chokecherry shrubs are identified by clusters of red or purple pea-sized fruits.
Do chokecherry trees spread?
It is a good erosion control plant because it can form thickets and spread by rhizomes. Wildlife: Chokecherry is important to many wildlife animals. Birds, rabbits, hares, rodents and bears all seek out and eat its fruit.
Is chokecherry poisonous to dogs?
Toxicity to pets Cherry trees and shrubs (Prunus sp) including the Chokecherry, Black cherry and cherry laurel contain cyanogenic glycosides. All parts of these plants other than the ripe pulp around the seeds are considered toxic and contain cyanide.
Are chokecherry trees roots invasive?
Invasive mayday/chokecherry trees have escaped yards and established along wet ditches where they easily compete with alder and birch trees. Please help us protect the Kenai Peninsula's moose and salmon habitat by removing these beautiful but harmful invasive trees.
Do chokecherry trees grow fast?
Its rapid growth, mature size, and spread make it popular for ornamental reasons. It is a good yard tree in urban neighborhoods and produces beautiful white flowers with a sweet and almond-like fragrance.
Do birds eat chokecherries?
Robins, thrushes, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, jays, bluebirds, catbirds, kingbirds, and grouse eat chokecherries, and so do mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, foxes, deer, bear, and moose.
What are chokecherries good for?
The entire berry is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, flavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, each said to possess a high-capacity value at fighting against allergies, viruses and cancer-causing elements. Chokecherries also contain a high dose of quinic acid which is known to prevent urinary tract infection.
What is the difference between pin cherry and chokecherry?
Overall a hard tree to tell apart from chokecherry. Pin cherry has more clusters of flowers, with fewer cherries in each. Cherries are bright red. Bark is reddish brown.
How do you prune a chokecherry tree?
The chokecherry can be pruned into a shrub or a tree. To train a chokecherry into a tree, prune away branches near the center of the trunk to enable adequate airflow. Remove any low-growing branches. If you're looking for a smaller, shrub-like plant, prune away one-third of the old growth.
Do chokecherry trees grow fast?
Its rapid growth, mature size, and spread make it popular for ornamental reasons. It is a good yard tree in urban neighborhoods and produces beautiful white flowers with a sweet and almond-like fragrance.
How do you start a chokecherry tree?
Propagating Chokecherries Trim away the bottom set of leaves. Dip the cut end into rooting hormone and place the cutting into moist potting soil or peat moss. Keep the cutting in a bright, warm location until established. Transplant to an outdoor location or container.
Is choke cherry wood valuable?
Choke cherry is what you typically buy when you buy cherry lumber. If you can get good boards cut for a low price do it. You are mistaken. Choke Cherry (prunus virginiana) has wood that is similar to Black Cherry (prunus serotina), but the Choke Cherry doesn't grow large enough to be of any commercial value.
How do you take care of a chokecherry tree?
During the fall, plant your chokecherry in a large container with good drainage and enough sunlight. You can use any type of soil for this plant; just make sure it is not too acidic or too alkaline. At the beginning, maintain the soil moist, but as the shrub starts to grow water less frequently.
What is a choke cherry tree?
The chokecherry is a small shrub or tree, often forming dense thickets. Leaves on chokecherry are elliptical and have finely serrated margins. They are a shiny dark green above and light green, sometimes hairy, underneath. In the fall, the foliage turns yellow. The leaf stalks are slender and two gland-dots can be found on them. The bark is smooth, becoming scaly, and is gray-brown with white lenticels. Twigs on chokecherry are slender and brown. When the twigs are cut or crushed, they have a bittersweet smell, similar to the aroma of cyanide of bitter almonds. Like most species in the Rosaceae family, the flowers on chokecherry have 5 white rounded petals. The flowers bloom in clusters in late spring. Following the flowers, the fruit that is known as chokecherry form and are shiny dark red or blackish. They have a bitter or astringent taste, hence one of the common names bitter cherry. The fruit matures in the summer.
What color is chokecherry?
The bark is smooth, becoming scaly, and is gray-brown with white lenticels. Twigs on chokecherry are slender and brown.
When do chokecherry flowers bloom?
Like most species in the Rosaceae family, the flowers on chokecherry have 5 white rounded petals. The flowers bloom in clusters in late spring. Following the flowers, the fruit that is known as chokecherry form and are shiny dark red or blackish.
Where can I find chokecherry?
The native range of chokecherry is the northern United States from Maine to British Columbia and down south to northern Texas and Missouri. It can also be found growing in western California.
Can you eat chokecherry?
The fruit on chokecherry is bitter when raw so it is not recommended to eat them right off the tree. They can be cooked and made into preserves, jams, pies, and sauces. The shrub can be used for shrub borders and open woodland gardens. Cultivars are used in landscapes for ornamental purposes.
Can chokecherry be fatal?
Problems: Chokecherry is susceptible to black knot which can be fatal if not pruned. Tent caterpillars can also be an issue. The wood is weak and branches may be broken by ice/snow in winter. References: Minnesota Wildflowers. Found online: https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/chokecherry. 'Common chokecherry'.
How tall is a chokecherry tree?
The height of the chokecherry tree is around 20-25 feet or 2-4 meters and its trunk is around 8 inches thick. Chokecherry trees have an oval-shaped canopy. Once you have found a tree that is similar to the description of the chokecherry in height, your next task would be to observe the leaves. Now if you are indeed looking at a chokecherry tree, ...
How long are chokecherry leaves?
Each leaf is about 2 inches or 10 centimeters long and broad in the middle with a pointed tip and toothed edges. You can also find two glands at the leaf base at each node.
What is the difference between chokecherry and rhamnus cathartica?
It is different from the chokecherry in that its leaves are a darker shade of green, the fruits are bigger and the lenticels on the stem are more in number and hen ce, more closely packed. Rhamnus cathartica is another example of a plant that resembles the chokecherry.
What is chokecherry used for?
Chokecherry is a tree grown in different parts of North America and the berries of this tree are used for making jellies, jams and wine.
What are some examples of chokecherry trees?
One example of a tree that appears similar to the chokecherry tree is the black cherry (Prunus serotina). It is different from the chokecherry in that its leaves are a darker shade of green, ...
What color is the bark of a sage tree?
The bark of the tree is smooth and varies in color from reddish brown to gray. Sometimes, you may find shallow, fine ridges on the tree trunk, running parallel to the length of the trunk.
Is chokecherry poisonous?
However, many people have the misconception that the shiny bright red fruits of this tree are poisonous.
What is a Chokecherry?
So, what is a chokecherry? Growing chokecherry trees are large suckering shrubs (small trees) that are indigenous to the Southeastern United States but may be grown as a perennial landscape specimen elsewhere. Prunus viginiana can attain heights of up to 41 feet (12.5) tall with a canopy of 28 feet (8.5 m.) across; of course, this is extremely rare and generally the plant can be maintained to a size of about 12 feet (3.5 m.) tall by 10 feet (3 m.)wide.
When to harvest chokecherry?
As a landscape planting, you can grow and harvest chokecherry fruit in the fall; the later the reaping, the sweeter the fruit. Remove the toxic stems and leaves when cleaning the berries and do not crush the seeds when cooking or juice extracting. Thus, common sense would tell you not to put the berries in the blender!
How tall is a Prunus viginiana?
Prunus viginiana can attain heights of up to 41 feet (12.5) tall with a canopy of 28 feet (8.5 m.) across; of course, this is extremely rare and generally the plant can be maintained to a size of about 12 feet (3.5 m.) tall by 10 feet (3 m.)wide. Chokecherry trees bear 3- to 6-inch (7.5-15 cm.) long creamy white blooms, ...
What animals eat chokecherry?
All parts of the growing chokecherry trees are eaten by large mammals such as bears, moose, coyotes, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk and deer. Birds munch on its fruit, and even domestic cattle and sheep browse on the chokecherry. The leaves, stems and seeds contain a toxin, called hydrocyanic acid, which may rarely cause poisoning in domestic ...
Is chockecherry fruit a good source of fiber?
Chokecherry fruit is a rich source of dietary fiber with 68 percent of the daily recommended allowance, 37 percent DRA of vitamin K, and a terrific source of manganese, potassium and vitamin B6 with just 158 calories per half cup (118 ml.).
Is chokeberry tree drought tolerant?
Cold hardy to USDA zone 2, wind resistant, moderately drought and shade tolerant, chokecherry planting instructions are pretty minimal as it is not particularly picky about where it is situated. That said, in nature, growing chokeberry trees are often found near water sources and will, thus, be most lush with adequate irrigation while full sun also ...
How tall is a chokecherry tree?
Chokecherry is a native, perennial, deciduous, woody, thicket-forming large erect shrub or small tree. It rarely reaches a height of over 30 feet. The crown is irregular and from 10 to 20 feet wide when mature. Leaves are dark green and glossy above and paler beneath.
Where does chokecherry grow?
Chokecherry is common throughout much of the US and southern Canada and grows across Nebraska. It is typically a suckering, multi-stemmed large shrub, but can be a small tree reaching up to 25’ tall.
Why is chokecherry important?
Chokecherry is important to many wildlife animals. Birds, rabbits, hares, rodents and bears all seek out and eat its fruit. It provides food, cover and nesting habitat for a variety of birds. Birds will also take advantage of its growth form for cover and nesting habitat.
When were cherries first harvested?
Anthropologists suggest that the cherries have been harvested in Eurasia from as early as 4,000 to 5,000 BCE.
How big are the leaves of a sage tree?
They are alternate, simple, glabrous, oval to broadly elliptic in shape, 1 to 4 inches long, and 3/4 to 2 inches wide. They turn yellow in autumn. The bark of young trees may vary from gray to a reddish brown.
What type of soil do chokecherries like?
Soil. Moist soil is ideal for chokecherries, but this plant is not picky about its soil conditions. The chokecherry can be found growing in loamy, sandy, and clay soil and can tolerate slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil pH.
How to grow chokecherry from seed?
Growing a chokecherry from seed requires patience but is simple to accomplish: Chokecherry seeds must go through cold stratification before germinating. Place the seeds in the refrigerator for 3 months to achieve this. After this, plant the seeds in the spring in moist, rich soil.
What is chokecherry berry?
A double delight, this perennial shrub produces long, white flowers that turn into famous purple-black berries, known as chokecherries or bitter-berries. These bitter-tasting berries are used in jellies, jams, wines, ...
When to harvest chokecherry berries?
These hardy plants are wind-resistant and cold-resistant. The berries can be harvested as early as July or August and into the fall. Keep in mind that a later harvest will mean sweeter berries.
Where is chokecherry native to?
The chokecherry can be grown into a tree or kept in containers and maintained as a smaller shrub. It's native to North America, and has been designated as the state fruit of North Dakota. Botanical Name.
Is chokecherry poisonous?
Though the fruity flesh isn't toxic, the leaves, stems, and seeds (pits) of the chokecherry can be toxic to humans if eaten in large amounts. They contain hydrocyanic acid, which is poisonous. The toxin levels are low, so it would require ingesting a large amount to cause poisoning.
Can chokecherry trees grow in water?
The chokecherry tree is naturally found near water sources, so adequate watering is key to healthy, plentiful growth and fruit. However, some neglect will not damage this plant. The chokecherry is somewhat drought tolerant and can grow with minimal water. It is best to keep the soil moist, not wet.
How tall do chokecherries grow?
The plantgrows to a height of 6 metres (20 feet), producing hanging spikes of disagreeably scented white flowers. The slender brown twigs also have an unpleasant odour and a bitter taste. The bark is brown or gray, smooth on new growth but becoming scaly with age.
What is the color of chokecherry?
There are several varieties, including eastern chokecherry (Prunusvirginiana, variety virginiana), with yellow or crimson fruit; western chokecherry (P. virginiana, variety demissa), with a fuzzy underleaf and dark red fruit; and black chokecherry (P. virginiana, variety melanocarpa), with black fruit.
How tall is a shrub?
shrub, any woody plant that has several stems, none dominant, and is usually less than 3 m (10 feet) tall. When much-branched and dense, it may be called a bush. Intermediate between shrubs and trees are arborescences, or treelike shrubs, from 3 to 6 m tall. Trees are generally defined…
How tall does a slender twig plant grow?
The plant grows to a height of 6 metres (20 feet), producing hanging spikes of disagreeably scented white flowers. The slender brown twigs also have an unpleasant odour and a bitter taste. The bark is brown or gray, smooth on new growth but becoming scaly with age.
What is a tree?
tree, woody plant that regularly renews its growth (perennial). Most plants classified as trees have a single self-supporting trunk containing woody tissues, and in most species the trunk produces secondary limbs, called branches. To many, the word treeevokes…