The Chokecherry Tree Guide
Quick Facts
A Chokecherry Tree with ripe fruit - a vital food source for birds.
Name: Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
Type: Deciduous small tree/shrub
Size: Typically grows 6-12 feet tall and wide, but can be kept much smaller by pruning
Native Range: Northern half of North America
Growing Conditions
Low Maintenance
Sunlight: Grows in part shade to full sun
Soil: Well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
pH Range: Acidic to neutral
Water Needs: Moderate, but drought-tolerant once established
Habit: Forest Edge, Open Woodlands, and Riparian Zones
Wildlife and Ecological Importance:
Host Plant:
Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and 450 other Lepidoptera species.
Attracts: Birds, butterflies, and pollinators
Fruits: Eaten by at least 70 bird species, including waxwings and cardinals
Additional Notes:
Seasonal Interest:
White flowers in spring, bright foliage in fall and fruit into the fall and winter.
Resistance:
Sonewhat deer resistant, except for young shoots
Propagation: Seeds, cuttings, and suckers from the base of the tree - easy to propigate
Cultural Uses: Many Native American tribes dried and powdered the fruits and added it to dried meat and fat to make pemmican.
Replace the following Non-natives with Spicebush:
Non-native cherries and also to replace privet with chokecherries for hedgerows.
The Chokecherry
Chokecherry berries - a great food source for birds.
Introduction to the Chokecherry
A Chokecherry is a small (10-20 ft) tree that is native to most of North America (except the Southeastern US) and has a high wildlife value.
Planting a Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in your yard is an excellent way to support local ecosystems while enjoying a versatile,
low-maintenance tree or large shrub.
One of its most compelling benefits is its role as a host plant for over 450 butterfly and moth species.
These lepidoptera rely on Chokecherry to lay their eggs, and the leaves provide food and shelter for their caterpillars.
By planting chokecherry, you can encourage a breeding population of native butterflies and moths in your yard.
Who wouldn't want to support local pollinators and enjoy the beauty of wildlife?
In addition to supporting butterflies,
Chokecherryis a wildlife magnet. Its springtime white flower clusters are an important nectar source for
pollinators emerging after winter. In late summer and early fall, its dark red to black cherries provide an important food source
for birds and small mammals. This multi-season appeal makes chokecherry a valuable addition to any yard focused on wildlife conservation.
Chockecherry Tree (Prunus virginiana) Native Range (USGS map).
How to use Chokecherries in the landscape
It is also easy to care for. It thrives in a range of conditions, from full sun to partial shade,
and adapts to various soil types, from dry to moist.
Its adaptability means it works well in both formal gardens and wild areas, providing beauty and ecological benefits
without requiring constant maintenance. Its striking fall foliage, clusters of edible fruit, and fragrant spring flowers offer year-round interest.
Due to its small size, the Chokecherry is a versitile tree to use in the landscape. It can be planted as an individual specimen tree in a small yard, or can be planted
for hedgerows, natrualized landscpes, and woodlands as it will naturally form a thicket.
The Chokecherry as a Host Plant
Chokecherry is a host plant to over 450 species of lepidoptera, making it an important part of the food web. Some of the most well-known species that rely on chokecherry include:
Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Columbia Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia), Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis),
and the Io Moth (Automeris io).
A Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly will regularly use the Chokecherry as a host plant.
Growing and Propigating Chokecherry
Chokecherries are easy to propigate.
Seeds:
Chokecherry seeds require cold stratification to germinate. To do this:
1. plant seeds in small pots and leave them outdoors over the winter to naturally stratify. Alternatively, store them in a moist medium in the refrigerator for 90-120 days before planting in spring.
2. Scarifying the outer seed coat can also improve germination rates.
Cuttings:
Chokecherry can also be propagated through softwood cuttings. To do this:
1. In early summer, take a 6-8 inch cutting from a healthy branch.
2. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone.
3. Plant the cutting in a pot with well-draining soil and keep it moist.
4. Cover with a plastic bag to maintain humidity and place in a bright, indirect light location.
5. After roots develop in a few weeks, transplant the cutting into the ground.
Suckering Propagation:
Due to the suckering nature of chokecherry, propagating by transplanting root suckers is an easy and effective method. To do this:
1. Identify a healthy chokecherry plant with young suckers growing from its base or nearby in the soil.
2. In early spring or late fall, carefully dig around the sucker to expose its root system.
3. Use sharp, sterilized pruners to cut the sucker away from the parent plant, ensuring it has a portion of the root attached.
4. Replant the sucker immediately in well-draining soil, keeping it at the same depth it was originally growing.
5. Water thoroughly and provide regular moisture until the plant is well established.
This method is the easiest and takes advantage of chokecherry's natural ability to spread through suckering, making it an excellent way to establish new plants with minimal effort.
Another image of Chokecherry flowers in the spring.
Cultural Uses of Chokecherry
Chokecherry has long been used by Indigenous peoples for food, medicine, and tools. The fruit was commonly dried and mixed with meat and fat to make pemmican, a high-energy food. Various tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Blackfoot, used the bark and leaves to create medicinal teas for treating coughs, colds, and digestive ailments. The inner bark was also used as a dye for fabrics and tools.
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) Host Plant:
Chokecherry Tree - 18-24" Tall Live Plant - Chokecherry Seedling
Bare-root Chokecherry seedling. Once the roots establish, it will grow fast, and reach a size of around 25 feet if not pruned.
This is a bare-root: soak the roots for a few hours before planting. It will be VERY slow to bud out and take the 1st year to grow its roots, give it time.
Once established, it's a fast grower.
Recommended Wildlife Restoration Books:
Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects
The Xerces Society, 2016
The experts at the Xerces Society offer this guide to creating a pollinator-friendly garden that supports at-risk butterflies. This book teaches why butterflies matter, the threats they face, and how to design habitats where they will thrive, no matter your garden's size or shape.
These books below are by Doug Tallamy, a renowned entomologist and ecologist, widely recognized as the leading advocate for promoting native plantings in yards to support biodiversity and wildlife conservation.
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Douglas W. Tallamy, 2020
In this highly recommended book, Dr. Tallamy proposes a practical conservation approach, encouraging homeowners to plant native species and transform their yards into wildlife habitats with specific strategies that can be easily incorporated into their own yards!
How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard
Douglas W. Tallamy, 2025
Dr. Tallamys newest book is an empowering guide for anyone eager to restore nature at home. With clear, research-backed answers to common conservation questions, Tallamy shows how simple actions can make a real difference. A must-read for backyard conservationists.
