Chokecherry flower from May to June with elongated clusters of small white flowers that resemble a bottlebrush. The shiny red to black berries ripen in late August.
Chokecherry are a shrub in northern areas and a small tree (3-26 ft) further south. They grow throughout Canada and the United States except in the northernmost areas and the Gulf states.
The trunk is sometimes twisted or crooked with smooth, grayish-brown bark. The crown is narrow and irregular. It has long reddish-brown buds in winter and broad oval leaves with finely toothed edges.
Could it be? Chokecherry leaves are widest above the middle of the leaf with a short pointed tip. Pin Cherry leaves are widest below the middle of the leaf and taper gradually to a point.
Did you know? Bears pull Chokecherry to the ground and tear their branches apart in their eagerness to eat the fruit. Raccoons, chipmunks, mice, and birds also love the fruit but cause less damage.
See Also: Wild Strawberry, Bearberry, Blackberry, Elderberry, Highbush Cranberry, Huckleberry, Oregon Grape, Saskatoon Berry, Silver Buffaloberry, Snowberry, Thimbleberry
