Red Chokeberry - Aronia arbutifolia - €10 per plant  

Red chokeberry is a highly attractive, multi-stemmed shrub that has good qualities throughout the four seasons.In spring, flat-topped clusters of white, five-petaled flowers with red. The berries appear soon after, and remain in situ until December or sometime January. The bark of the tree appears reddish-brown and sheds bark, which adds colour and texture to the winter landscape. Great in borders and due to root system, erosion control. To order this plant please contact us [email protected]. 

Context

  • native region: E.America 
  • native habitat: Swamps and low woodlands and damp pine barrens
  • family: Rosaceae

Predators

  • No serious disease or insect problems
  • Some susceptibility to leaf spots and twig/fruit blight​​

Needs, tolerances 

  • Light: Semi-shade or full sun
  • soil pH:  Acid, neutral -basic alkaline 
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 4- 9
  • Prefers moist, well drained soil
  • Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus

Overview

.  
  • Deciduous Shrub growing to 3 m by 3 m. 
  • In flower from May and the seeds ripen from Oct to November
  • The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects.
  • Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. 
  • Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. 
  • Can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or full sun
  •  It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Characteristics

  • form: Medium sized shrub
  • layer : Shrub Layer
  • habit: Multistemmed with multiple stems from the crown
  • height x width (m): 3 x 3

Products 

  • Leaves: Glossy and dark green with stunning colour in the autumn.
  • Fruit: Berries can be variable, but are usually quite nice after a frost. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist on the shrub throughout the autumn and well into winter. Attracts birdlife
  • Flowers: Borne in attractive clusters, white - pink in colour and attracting a wide range of pollinators

Functions, behaviours

  • Succeeds in most soils but dislikes chalky conditions
  • The root pattern is flat with shallow roots forming a plate near the soil surface
  • Suckers profusely. 
  • Intermediate food source for birds
  • ​Ability to withstand wet conditions makes it suitable for growing on the margins of ponds or streams.
If you would like this plant please send an email to [email protected] with your order. 
Balkan Ecology Project