Chokecherry

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More names for this plant

Anishinaabemowin: Azasawemin

Dakota: Çaŋpa

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website.

Latin (or scientific name): Prunus virginiana

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

Page contents

About the chokecherry

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

This flowering chokecherry grows near water. The creamy white flowers are about the size of a fingernail and they grow in clusters about the size of a thumb or pinky finger.
Chokecherry plant beginning to flower.
May 16, 2021, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Photo © letaylor1, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About the chokecherry

  • Chokecherries can be found throughout Minnesota. 
  • These plants are sometimes considered small trees and other times are referred to as woody shrubs.
  • They grow up to thirty feet tall, have gray bark, dark red fruits, and elliptical shaped leaves with serrated edges.
  • Their white flowers bloom from May to June and attract several types of pollinators. 
  • Chokecherry fruits are very bitter, so they are not eaten raw. However, they can be used in jams and pies. 
  • In fall, their leaves change from green to yellow.
  • Fun fact: When broken, chokecherry twigs can give off an almond-like smell.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing chokecherry phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

This chokecherry twig is dark brownish-red with small white spots. About eight buds are in the photo and they are long and pointed.
The bud at the tip of this twig is breaking open. Green leaves are visible, but they are still small and have not fully unfolded from the bud.
Leaves are now fully expanded and have both reddish orange and green coloration. A cluster of small, green, round buds is also present.
A close-up photo showing open flowers. Each individual flower has a yellow center, five round petals, and supports several (about 25 per flower) spindly, white stamen.
A cluster of spent flowers. The petals have dropped, making other structures more visible, including the drying stamen. The spent flowers have green centers.
This photo shows a cluster of green, unripe chokecherry fruits. The plant is growing in a lush, shady woodland setting.
Ripe chokecherries are glossly, spherical, and dark purple, or nearly black. They are arranged in clusters and attached to a reddish support. A few yellow leaves are also in the photo.
A winter woodland scene with a few remaining dried fruit on a chokecherry plant. They are still black and roughly spherical, though they are dry and no longer plump.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Itasca County

Flowering

  • Earliest: May 11 (occurred in 2007)
  • Average: May 24
  • Latest: June 4 (occurred in 2008)
Scatterplot showing chokecherry phenology observations in Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

First ripe fruit

  • Earliest: July 16 (occurred in 2007)
  • Average: August 6
  • Latest: September 2 ( occurred in 2008)
Scatterplot showing chokecherry phenology observations in Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in Nature's Notebook

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) fact sheet by US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

 

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Keep exploring Season Watch

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Tree of life
State of Minnesota

Minnesota places
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Times of year

Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist