Aronia arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’ – Red Chokeberry

General Information: The flowers, fruits, and foliage of Red Chokeberry make for a beautiful addition to any landscape. This native shrub has year-round appeal. Flourishes of dazzling white and pink-speckled flowers blossom in early spring. The subsequent summer flush of verdant foliage is dense from afar, but one notices that each leaf is intricately veined up close. In autumn, the fruits mature as pendant red berries while the foliage shifts from green to a blazing scarlet nearly identical to the berries. Once the leaves have fallen, the berries persist throughout the winter as an idyllic landscape addition for each winter holiday. These plants are ideally suited at the crossroads between human ornamental appreciation and ecological importance. In addition to their beauty, Red Chokeberries are a major food source for numerous pollinators, birds, and mammals. They also have been used medicinally and culturally among Indigenous Peoples throughout the plant’s native range.

Edible Qualities: Red Chokeberries, as the name suggests, are insipid when raw, so much so that they might make one think they are choking. Their astringency is removed upon drying or cooking. The fruits have been used as an ingredient in the Indigenous food source Pemmican. These fruits are high in pectin, They can be boiled and added to jellies or jams to improve pectin content and flavor. The berries are nutrient-dense and high in manganese, zinc, magnesium, vitamins B, C and K, fiber, and iron. They are considered a superfruit containing the most antioxidants of all berries

Cultivation Details: This species is self-fertile. Only one plant is required to set fruit. Numerous cultivars of this species exist with differing flowering and growth forms, however we are offering the native ecotype. Red Chokeberries are an excellent landscaping choice, especially in moist areas. These clumping shrubs may spread over time by sucker to form thickets, especially in or near wetlands. Root suckers can easily be removed if desired. Consider planting in a hedgerow, in foundation plantings, along borders and fences, for rewilding, or as a specimen. Consider pairing with Juneberry (Amelanchier spp), Echinacea, Bee Balms (Monarda spp), Ground Nut (Apios americana). Red Chokeberry also pairs well on ecological, culinary, and aesthetic levels with Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa).

Growing Requirements: Plant in full to part sun. Plants in part sun may not set as much fruit as those in full sun. Prefers moist, well-drained soils. Uniquely tolerant of both dry and wet soils. Tolerates sandy, loamy, and clay soils. Suitable for mildly acidic, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils.

Fun Facts: The species name “arbutifolia” means “leaves shaped like Arbutus.” This refers to the spatula shape of the leaves that Red Chokeberry shares with the unrelated genus Arbutus, commonly known as Madrones, which are found in the Southwestern and West Coasts of the US.