Chokecherry

(Prunus virginiana)

General Description

This small suckering hardy tree or large shrub is native

throughout North Dakota. Purple-leaved selections are

popular landscape plants. Fruits commonly used for jellies

and jams. The largest tree form in North Dakota is 41 feet

tall with a canopy spread of 28 feet.

Leaves and Buds

Bud Arrangement - Alternate.

Bud Color - Light brown.

Bud Size - Small, 1/16 to 3/16 inch.

Leaf Type and Shape - Simple, broadly elliptical.

Leaf Margins - Abruptly acuminate, broad-cuneate to

rounded at base, and closely serrulate.

Leaf Surface - Glabrous, except axillary tufts of hair

beneath.

Leaf Length - 1½ to 3 inches.

Leaf Width - 3/4 to 1½ inches.

Leaf Color - Dark green above, lighter green below;

yellow fall color.

Flowers and Fruits

Flower Type - Racemes, 3 to 6 inches long.

Flower Color - Creamy-white.

Fruit Type - Drupe, fleshy fruit with a stone in the center.

Fruit Color - Dark red to purple-black when mature.

Form

Growth Habit - Oval to rounded, slender twigs.

Texture - Medium-fine, summer; medium, winter.

Crown Height - 12 to 25 feet.

Crown Width - 10 to 20 feet.

Bark Color - Gray-brown.

Root System - Shallow, suckering.

Environmental Requirements

Water

Moderate drought tolerance.

Light

Shade tolerant, but needs full sun to produce a good fruit

crop.

Uses

Conservation/Windbreaks

Tall shrub for farmstead and field windbreaks, riparian

plantings and highway beautification.

Wildlife

One of the most important plants for food and cover.

Twigs and foliage are heavily browsed by deer.

Agroforestry Products

Food - Fruit commonly used for jelly and wine.

Medicinal - Some Prunus species are used as an astringent,

for coughs, colds, an antibiotic; for gout and in cancer

research.

Urban/Recreational

Very limited use due to its suckering habit. Useful in

screen or mass plantings.

Pests

Common diseases include X-disease, black knot, stem

decay, shothole and Valsa canker. Common insect pest

is prairie tent caterpillar. Deer commonly browse

choke-cherry. Extracts of various Prunus species

are toxic to various insect pests.

III-14