Were you one of the many people this summer to ask what’s the name of that bush out front?
It was unbelievable how many times that question was asked and we couldn’t give the answer. Well, our director, Jan Warner, has told us the name again, as well as how to identify it in the spring and the summer.
It’s Chokeberry, not Chokecherry or any other bush, as some visitors have thought. Just by chance I had taken a photo in May when it was in bloom:
Jan said the bushes were part of the landscaping when the museum was built but the birds do not eat the berries. Since I know next to nothing about this bush, or any other, I checked on-line. Well, there are many articles and many varieties of the Chokeberry Bush. Some stated the birds will eat the berries from some varieties when all other source of food is gone. Well, this morning we woke to our first (close to an inch) of snow and the berries are still on the bushes. So, when you visit the museum I suggest you NOT eat the berries, no matter how tempting they look. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my eyes on those berries to see if they disappear or just dry on the bushes.
The Chokeberry hangs from a stem and the leaf is small, about 3″, more oblong than round, with tiny zigzagged edges, as you will see in this next photo taken in September of this year.
The following photo, also taken in September of this year, is of the Chokecherry Bush that is on our property where I live. I don’t have a spring photo to share, but this bush has beautiful oblong clusters of white flowers at that time of year. I don’t know the variety of this bush either, but my husband’s aunt did pick from this bush for her jam and it was delicious. You will see it has a larger oblong, zigzagged leaf than the Chokeberry.
I hope this has solved the mystery of the bushes out front. Right now the leaves are turning a nice orange color, but I don’t know what this weather will do to them…it was 26 degrees here this morning.
~ Alice Smuda
So…the berries in the second photo are choke *berries*, and in the bottom it sounds from your description of the oblong flower cluster like they are choke *cherries*. Choke berries are also known as Aronia, are edible and super-nutritious, tho’ tart (also sweeter after a frost). Choke cherries have toxicity issues, particularly the leaves and single seeds.
http://aroniainamerica.blogspot.com/2011/03/chokeberry-chokecherry-are-different.html
Sorry, missed that you already identified the second one as chokecherry. Would be interested to know if your aunt seeded them before making jam!
Thanks for your comments on our bushes! Alice will have to let you know about seeding or not seeding before making jam. Ann Marie, Curator of Collections