Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa var. elata)
ah-ROE-nee-ah mel-an-oh-KAR-pah variety ee-LAY-tah

Deciduous Perennial Shrub in the Rosaceae Family
A taller, upright-growing form of Black Chokeberry, valued for its combination of glossy black fruit and striking wine-red fall foliage.

Aronia melanocarpa var. elata is a taller, more upright-growing botanical variety of Black Chokeberry (not a named cultivar, despite sometimes being written with quotes around "elata"). In May, it bears clusters of white flowers that give way to glossy black berries by late summer, and its foliage turns a striking wine-red to purple in fall — a combination Chicago Botanic Garden calls the plant's most attractive feature, since the flowers themselves are relatively modest.

Like the straight species, it is adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and tolerates everything from wet, boggy sites to average garden soil, performing best in full sun to part shade. It spreads slowly by root suckers and works well as an informal screen or hedge as well as in naturalized plantings.

Pros

  • Wine-red to purple fall color paired with persistent black fruit
  • Taller, more upright habit than the straight species — useful as an informal screen or hedge
  • Tolerates wet, boggy soil as well as average garden conditions
  • Virtually pest- and disease-free

Cons

  • Flowers themselves are relatively unshowy — the appeal is mostly foliage, form, and fruit
  • Suckers and spreads to form a colony over time
  • Fresh fruit is tart and astringent, not palatable eaten raw in quantity
Why Like Like the straight species, its flowers support early-season bees and its persistent fruit is an important late-season food source for birds; its taller, more upright habit also makes it a useful informal screen for wildlife cover.
Highlights A taller, more upright botanical variety of Black Chokeberry, grown for its wine-red fall foliage set against persistent black fruit — also useful as an informal screen or hedge.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 4 - 6 feet tall. 4 - 6 feet wide.
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet: Widely Adaptable
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Deciduous, Fall Color, Fragrant Flowers, Full Sun, Medium, Native to North America, Non-Allergenic, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Popular For Fall, Shrub, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant
Bloom Period May to June
Flower Color White
Foliage Color Green
 

Plant Club Content
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other moisture-tolerant native shrubs and perennials such as winterberry holly, red-twig dogwood, switchgrass, and swamp milkweed.
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 04/13 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

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