​Chokecherry, Western Chokecherry, Virginia Bird-cherry,Prunus virginiana,Rose Family (Rosaceae)

The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

Found in open woodlands
Seen blooming in May in Abiquiu
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Chokecherry is a native, deciduous, woody, thicket-forming, large shrub or small tree, rarely reaching 30 feet tall. It can be erect or straggling, dependent on moisture and site. Leaves are oval, often widest above the middle, with fine, sharp teeth. Bark is smooth, reddish-grey to greyish-brown with small, raised, horizontal slits, called lenticels. The aromatic flowers grow in long clusters over four inches long. Chokecherry fruit is pea-sized, dark red to black in color and is bitter, but excellent for syrup, jam or jelly with lots of added sugar. The stones are toxic due to production of hydrocyanic acid. Many wildlife animals eat the fruit and distribute it; birds, rabbits, hares, rodents and bears all seek out and eat its fruit. For many Native American tribes chokecherries are the most important fruit in their traditional diets and are part of pemmican, a staple traditional food. The bark of chokecherry root is used to ward off or treat colds, fever and stomach maladies. The inner bark of the chokecherry is also used by some tribes in ceremonial smoking mixtures, known as kinnikinnick. Source.
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