| Description | Autumn Magic Chokeberry (Aronica melanocarpa) is a deciduous shrub tolerant of wet soils. Has white flowers and a brilliant fall display of reds, oranges, and purples. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (a-roh-NI-a)(mel-an-OH-car-pa) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 5 |
| Sunlight | best in full, tolerates some shade |
| Moisture | average, tolerates wet and dry conditions once established |
| Soil & Site | average, tolerates wet and dry conditions once established |
| Flowers | 5 petals, white, borne in a corymb, early spring after the leaves emerge |
| Fruit | dark purple, almost black, edible but very astringent tasting, birds leave this fruit for last |
| Leaves | dark glossy green leaves during the summer, wine red to purple fall foliage |
| Stems | upright, twiggy |
| Roots | fibrous |
| Dimensions | 5 by 5 feet |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Cultivar Origin | "The cultivar 'Autumn Magic' originated from an eastern seedling colony. It was brought to the Northwest to be grown & tested by the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. They discovered that every delightful trait of Chokeberry was even nicer in this slight variant" (#161). |
| Author's Notes | Autumn Magic is happily growing on the edge of a bog at my house. I have drank tea made from from Black Chokeberry fruit. It has a strong, sour puckering taste. High in anthocyanins and flavonoids, five to ten times higher than cranberry juice. Tea is a red color |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #161-Paghat's Gardens (www.paghat.com) |
Cart
