The Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a species of bird cherry (Prunus subgenus Padus) native to North America, where it is found almost throughout the continent except for the deep south and the far north. It is a suckering shrub or small tree growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are oval, 3-10 cm long, with a coarsely serrated margin. The flowers are produced in racemes of 15-30 in late spring (well after leaf emergence). The fruit are about 1 cm diameter, bright red, with a very astringent, sour taste. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) Downloaded from : [[1]] Credits : National Park Service - Wind Cave National Park File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families Rosaceae (rose family) Elaeagnaceae Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family) Ulmaceae (elm family) Celtidaceae Moraceae (mulberry family) Urticaceae (nettle family) Cecropiaceae Cannabaceae (hemp family) Barbeyaceae Dirachmaceae Rosales is an order of flowering plants, including the rose family, Rosaceae. ... Subfamilies Rosoideae Spiraeoideae Maloideae Amygdaloideae or Prunoideae The Rosaceae or rose family is a large family of plants, with about 3,000-4,000 species in 100-120 genera. ... Genera Prunus Prinsepia Prunoideae, also called Amygdaloideae, is the subfamily containing the genera Prunus and Prinsepia. ... Species Prunus alabamensis Prunus alleghaniensis Prunus americana Prunus andersonii Prunus angustifolia Prunus armeniaca Prunus avium Prunus caroliniana Prunus cerasifera Prunus cerasus Prunus domestica Prunus dulcis Prunus emarginata Prunus fasciculata Prunus fremontii Prunus fruticosa Prunus geniculata Prunus glandulosa Prunus gracilis Prunus havardii Prunus hortulana Prunus ilicifolia Prunus japonica Prunus laurocerasus Prunus... Binomial name Prunus padus The Bird Cherry Prunus padus is a species of cherry, native to northern Europe and northern Asia. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Binomial name Prunus padus The Bird Cherry Prunus padus is a species of cherry, native to northern Europe and northern Asia. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ... A willow shrub A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth A tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant. ... In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms (flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ... This inflorescence of the terrestrial orchid Spathoglottis plicata is a typical raceme. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ... An astringent is a chemical substance that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. ...

There are two varieties:

• Common Chokecherry Prunus virginiana var. virginiana. Eastern North America. Leaves hairless underneath or downy only in the vein axils.
• Western Chokecherry Prunus virginiana var. demissa. Western North America. Leaves downy underneath.

Chokecherry - habit

The wild Chokecherry is often considered a pest, as it is a host for the tent caterpillar, a threat to other fruit plants. However, there are more appreciated cultivars of the chokecherry, such as 'Goertz', which has a non-astringent, and therefore palatable, fruit. Research is being done at the University of Saskatchewan to find and create new cultivars to increase production and processing [1] (http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/afif/Projects/19960373.pdf). Chokecherry (Prunus virginianus). ... Chokecherry (Prunus virginianus). ... A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant species. ... The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is the largest education institution in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. ...

Chokecherry is closely related to the Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) of eastern North America; it is most readily distinguished from that by its smaller size (Black Cherry can reach 30 m tall), smaller leaves, and red (not black) ripe fruit. Black Cherry may refer to: Prunus serotina, a species of Bird cherry. ...

The name chokecherry has also been used (as 'Amur Chokecherry') for the related Manchurian Cherry or Amur Cherry (Prunus maackii).

Chokecherry is toxic to horses, especially after the leaves have wilted (such as after a frost or after branches have been broken) because wilting releases cyanide and makes the plant sweet. About 5-10 kg of foliage can be fatal. Symptoms of a horse that has been poisoned include heavy breathing, agitation, and weakness. Binomial name Equus caballus The Horse (Equus caballus) is a large ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the group C≡N, with the carbon atom triple bonded to the nitrogen atom. ...

The chokeberries, genus Aronia, are often mistakenly called chokecherries. This naming confusion is easy to understand considering there is a cultivar of the chokecherry Prunus virginiana 'Melanocarpa' [2] (http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00001191.html), [3] (http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/545.htm), and a species of chokeberry named Aronia melanocarpa [4] (http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00000145.html). Species Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. ... Species Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. ...

Sources

• Michigan State University Extension Information Management Program (http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/modzzo.html)

External links

• http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/trees/handbook/th-3-13.pdf
• http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/fruit/bla01s00.html