Black Chokeberry

(Aronia melanocarpa), a shrub of the family Rosaceae measuring 1.5–3 m tall. The leaves are elliptical and serrate. The shiny black fruits are globose and measure 0.7–1.5 cm in diameter. The dark red pulp is tart and astringent; the juice is ruby-colored.

The black chokeberry occurs in eastern regions of North America. Introduced into cultivation in the USSR by I. V. Michurin, it is widespread in commercial and farm orchards of the European USSR (the Baltic region and the northern, northwestern, and central regions of the RSFSR), Siberia, and the Altai. It thrives in various soils and climates, although it does require much moisture. The fruits, which contain sugars, vitamins P and C, and provitamin A, are used in fresh or dried form. They are used to make juice, jam, and various medicinal substances. The yield is 3–8.5 kg per shrub (50–70 quintals per hectare). The plants are set out in sunny areas in spring or autumn, with a distance of 4 m between rows and 1.5–3 m between plants in a row. The shrubs form many shoots, which thicken the plantings and require systematic pruning. Black chokeberries are ornamental, especially in the spring, when the plants are covered with large white inflorescences, and in the autumn, when they are covered with scarlet leaves. The shrubs are often used in landscaping. The plants are nectar bearers.