Chokecherry, Chokecherry

This naming confusion is easy to understand considering there is a cultivar of the chokecherry Prunus virginiana 'Melanocarpa' http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00001191.html http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/545.htm and a species of chokeberry named Aronia melanocarpa . http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00000145.html In fact, the two plants are not close relatives.

However, there are more appreciated cultivars of the chokecherry, such as 'Goertz', which has a non-astringent, and therefore palatable, fruit. Research is being done at the University of Saskatchewan to find and create new cultivars to increase production and processing. http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/afif/Projects/19960373.pdf Chokecherry is closely related to the Black Cherry ( Prunus serotina ) of eastern North America; it is most readily distinguished from that by its smaller size (Black Cherry can reach 30 m tall), smaller leaves, and sometimes red ripe fruit.

Source: Wikipedia > Chokecherry