Black Chokeberry ‘Lo Scape Mound’ (Aronia melanocarpa)

1-2’ x 3-4’ dense tidy low-growing multi-stem mound. Small colonies can form via rhizomes, though not aggressively. This cultivar of the taller species was developed by Dr. Mark Brand of UConn. It was named 2019 Landscape Shrub of the Year in Nursery Management Magazine. CT native, found in wet or dry thickets, and on rocky slopes.

Abundant 1” clusters contain hundreds of dainty showy fragrant white flowers with red-purple stamens, in May. Deep green glossy leaves. Dense clusters of showy dark purple-black edible fruits, September to October. Brilliant red, orange, and yellow autumn foliage, a fine contrast to the fruit.

Sun to part shade. Best fruit production in full sun. Average moisture. A wide range of soils tolerances, including wet, dry, drough, sand, clay, salt, hot or cold conditions. Can be trimmed to shape after flowering. Remove root suckers if you wish to prevent colonial spread. A tough little plant, easily grown. Very low maintenance

Three-season small shrub with many possible uses, including for mass plantings, as a groundcover shrub, edging plant, as a lawn substitute, in small gardens, open woodlands, at the margins of ponds or streams. Useful for erosion control.

Attracts bees. Attracts butterflies. Host for Coral Hairstreaks. Attracts birds, including Cedar Waxwings, Brown Thrashers, Warblers, and Vireos. Winter fruit gives sustenance to hungry birds during winter, after other food sources exhausted. Deer Resistant.

A word about the fruit: Aronia has sour astrigent fruits. Traditionally, Europeans believed the fruit was very healthful, and have used for juices, for juice mixes with sweeter fruits, for wines, jams, basked goods, and teas. In fact, recent science reveals that Aronia berries are higher in antioxidants than any temperate-area fruit, exceeding even blueberries and cranberries by a factor of 3. They are also rich in vitamins, and other nutrients. Earlier used by Native Americans as a preservative, Aronia has recently been found to have natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Photo 1: Fred Ortlip flickr.com/photos/ortlip/48050034033/sizes/l/ Photos 2, 3, 5, 6: Proven Winners provenwinners.com/plant/356935/images Photo 4: Michael Jeltsch commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aronia_prunifolia.jpg Photo 7: Steven Severinghaus flickr.com/photos/horsepunchkid/11160936693/sizes/l Photo 8: Mid-Atlantic Aronia Growers Association 1. midatlanticaronia.org/foof-and-beverage/ 2. jalmafarms.com Photo 9: Mark Brand; arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/ 2010-67-3-aronia-native-shrubs-with-untapped-potential.pdf