Chokecherry

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About Chokecherry
The Chokecherry is a species of bird cherry native to North America and whose scientific name is Prunus virginiana. This small three reaches 5 m in height and its leaves are oval, with a coarsely serrated margin, having from 3 to 10 cm in length. There are two varieties of chokecherry and these are common chokecherry that grows in Eastern North America and has hairless leaves, and Western chokecherry that can be found in Western Northern America. It should be taken into account that chokecherry is toxic for horses, especially after the leaves have wilted. Chokecherry is thought to be a pest or a serious threat to other fruit plants and is closely related to the black cherry or Prunus serotina belonging to eastern North America. Still, there are several differences; first of all, chokecherry is smaller in size, its leaves are also smaller while the ripe fruit is red and not black. The chokeberries belonging to genus Aronia are often mistaken by chokecherries and this is because there is a cultivar of the chokecherry Prunus virginiana “Melanocarpa”, and a species of chokeberry that is called Aronia melanocarpa.