FNPS Plant Database

Aronia arbutifolia

red chokeberry
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

red chokeberry

Synonym(s):

Photinia pyrifolia

Genus species:

Aronia arbutifolia

Family:

Rosaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

6-8(10) ft tall by to 3-5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Fall Color, Interesting Bark

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Beautiful early spring-blooming shrub. Grow at edge of wooded areas or as a specimen.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Flowers attract bees and butterflies.  Pollinated by bees.

Various birds eat the berries including titmice, nuthatches, warblers, chickadees, cardinals, grosbeaks, and orioles.

Native Habitats:

Wet sites. Seep slopes, wet flatwoods, edges of swamps.

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Berries are theoretically edible, but do not taste good, hence the chokeberry name.

General Comments:

Often grows with ink berry and palmettos.

Citations:

Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2025. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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