Aronia

"Chokeberries" redirects here. Not to be confused with chokecherries.
Not to be confused with Malus floribunda, also called purple chokeberry

Aronia
Aronia berries
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Amygdaloideae
Tribe: Maleae
Subtribe: Malinae
Genus: Aronia
Medik. 1789, conserved name not J. Mitch. 1769 nor Mitch. 1748
Species
Synonyms[1]
  • Adenorachis (de Candolle) Nieuwland
  • Pyrus Linnaeus sect. Adenorachis de Candolle
  • Sorbus Linnaeus sect. Aronia (Medikus) C. K. Schneider
Aronia berries.

Aronia is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps.[2][3][4] The genus Aronia is considered to have 3 species.[5][6] The most common and widely used is Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) which emerged from Eastern North America. The lesser known Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry) and the hybrid form of the abovementioned species called Aronia prunifolia (purple chokeberry) were first cultivated in Central and Eastern North America.[5] In the eighteenth century, the first shrubs of the best-known species Aronia melanocarpa reached Europe where they were first cultivated in Scandinavia and Russia.[5]

Chokeberries are cultivated as an ornamental plant and as a food plant. The sour berries, or aronia berries, can be eaten fresh off the bush, but are more frequently processed. They can be used to make wine, jam, syrup, juice, soft spreads, tea, salsa, extracts, beer, ice cream, gummies, and tinctures.[7] The name "chokeberry" comes from the astringency of the fruits, which create the sensation of making one's mouth pucker.[7]

Chokeberries are often mistakenly called chokecherries, the common name for Prunus virginiana. Further adding to the ambiguity, a variety of Prunus virginiana is melanocarpa,[8] and readily confused with black chokeberry because it is commonly referred to as "black chokeberry" or "aronia". Aronia berries and chokecherries both contain polyphenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, yet the two plants are somewhat distantly related within the Amygdaloideae subfamily. Black chokeberry is grown as a common shrub in Central Europe where it is mainly used for food production.[5]

  1. ^ Pankhurst, Richard J. (2014). "Aronia". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 9. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  2. ^ NRCS. "Photinia melanocarpa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  3. ^ NRCS. "Photinia floribunda". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  4. ^ Reznicek, A. A.; Voss, E. G.; Walters, B. S., eds. (February 2011). "Aronia". Michigan Flora Online. University of Michigan Herbarium. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
  5. ^ a b c d Ekiert, Halina Maria; Szopa, Agnieszka; Kubica, Paweł (2021), "High Production of Depsides and Other Phenolic Acids in Different Types of Shoot Cultures of Three Aronias: Aronia melanocarpa, Aronia arbutifolia, Aronia × prunifolia", Plant Cell and Tissue Differentiation and Secondary Metabolites, Reference Series in Phytochemistry, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 337–364, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-30185-9_11, ISBN 978-3-030-30184-2, S2CID 242679397, retrieved 2021-11-14
  6. ^ Kulling, Sabine; Rawel, Harshadai (October 2008). "Chokeberry(Aronia melanocarpa)– A Review on the Characteristic Components and Potential Health Effects". Planta Medica. 74 (13): 1625–1634. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1088306. ISSN 0032-0943. PMID 18937167. S2CID 206285399.
  7. ^ a b Everhart, Eldon (March 4, 2009). "Aronia - A New Crop for Iowa". Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  8. ^ NRCS. "Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).