wetland shrub

Red chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Nova Scotia to Florida and extreme eastern Texas

Light Full sun Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 4–10 Cold to heat range
Bloom Feb–May Flowering time
Height up to 12 ft to 3.7 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

In the garden

A wetland shrub for full sun and evenly moist soil. Its white flowers peak in March. At up to 12 ft, it needs room in rain gardens, pond edges, and damp low spots. Hardy in USDA zones 4–10.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Red chokeberry's white flowers bloom February to May, peaking in March. This early-spring display draws bees and flower flies.

Red chokeberry blooms whiteFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee +22 more
Tricolored Bumble Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Colletes inaequalis, Blue Orchard Bee, Horn-faced Mason Bee, Carlin's Mining Bee, Neighborly Mining Bee, Cresson's Mining Bee, Allegheny Mining Bee, Thistle Longhorn-Cuckoo, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Osmia conjuncta, Broad-faced Masked Bee, Illinois Cuckoo Sweat Bee, white-winged sweat bee, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Dunning's Miner, Andrena miserabilis, Milwaukee Mining Bee, Eucera belfragei, Tetragona dissecta
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Oblique Streaktail, Long-tailed Aphideater, Narrow-headed Marsh Fly +5 more
Thick-legged Hover Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Oblique-banded Pond Fly, Yellow-spotted Falsehorn, Yellow-legged Bog Fly
Butterflies Eastern Black Swallowtail also Harkenclenus titus, Incisalia niphon, Anosia plexippus
Also visited by
- Moths:
  
  Bluish Spring Moth, Praeclara Underwing Moth +1 more
  Acontia candefacta
- Beetles:
  
  Seven-spotted Lady Beetle, Zebra Longhorn Beetle +2 more
  Mordellistena aspersa, Bimaculate Longhorn Beetle
- Wasps: Fraternal Potter Wasp, Euodynerus bidens
- Birds: American Robin

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WetlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (24): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Canada (3): NB, NS, PE. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Nova Scotia to Florida and extreme eastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–10 · Canadian 5–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, rich soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 5.5–7.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: HighHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: LowHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 12 ft (to 3.7 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~10 ft (3 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 20+ in (51+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: ShrubWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Feb–MayWhen it flowers.
Flower color: WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Pome; ripens Mar–DecThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, container, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.3 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: LowHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.