Prunus Virginiana
                                                          Chokecherry

Description:

                  From Rose family (Rosacease), the chokecherry is perennial, deciduous, woody, shrub or small tree. The chokecherry grow erect from 3 to 19.5 feet (1-6m), the crown is irregular and range from 10-20 feet. The leaves are dark green and glossy on top. The shape of the leaf is somewhere between oval to oblong, the length is between 2 to 4 inches and the width is about ¾-2 inches and have serrated edges. The leaf turns yellow during fall time.  The bark of chokecherry is varies with age of tree. At young age it is gray to a reddish brown but as it ages the color of bark changes into black. The texture of bark is smooth and marked with conspicuous lenticels which later develop into shallow fissure. Lenticels are rows of raised air pores.  Chokecherry’s flower blooms between Aprils to June before the development of leaves are finished. The flower is white and aromatic, and arranged in cylindrical form about 3-6 inches long with 5 petals. The fruit starts to form between Junes to August. The fruit is spherical drupe which is ¼-3/8 inches in diameter and range in color from dark red to purple to almost to black.

Distribution:
Chokecherry is widely distributed that it starts from southern Canada to most part of United States. It starts from Newfoundland to British Colombia and south to North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, California, New Mexico and Northern Mexico. Although it is widely distributed, the chokecherry has three forms and this also varies with location. The first one is common choke cherry which is widely distributed on eastern part, second one is black chokecherry which is restricted to the western portion of America, and the third one is western chokecherry which occurs from British Colombia to southward into Texas and California.

Usage and management:
Chokecherry serves in various forms but it is important for livestock and wildlife. Chokecherry serves as wildlife food source for small mammals and used as browse for bigger mammals. However chokecherry is poisonous due to production of hydrocyanic acid in the leaves. The bears, moose, coyotes, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns etc, use chokecherry as browse. Chokecherry does not serve as food source for wild animals but serve as food source for humans too. It can be served as jelly, juice, wine and syrup. It also can be used in conservation for shelterbelts, windbreaks, wildlife plants and prevention of soil erosions.

Reference:
http://extension.usu.edu/range/Woody/chokecherry.htm
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs/prunusvir.html
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRVI
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=238
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRVI
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pruvir/all.html#MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Image from:
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=238
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PRVI
http://extension.usu.edu/range/Woody/chokecherry.htm