The chokecherry is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to nearly all of North America. It is a widespread and hardy member of the Rosaceae, or rose family. The plant’s common name originates from the intensely tart and astringent flavor of the raw fruit, which often causes a puckering sensation in the mouth. This deep astringency is significantly reduced when the fruit is fully ripe or properly processed, making it a valuable food source across the continent.
Identifying the Chokecherry Plant
The chokecherry typically grows as a large shrub, ranging from 6 to 15 feet in height, but can occasionally mature into a small tree reaching up to 30 feet tall. It often forms dense, thicket-like stands due to its ability to spread through root suckers. The bark is generally smooth and grayish-brown on young growth, featuring prominent horizontal lenticels before becoming scaly and darker with age.
Its leaves are oval to elliptic in shape, measuring between one and four inches long, with finely serrated edges. The foliage is a dark, glossy green on the upper surface and noticeably paler underneath, turning a striking golden-yellow or orange in the fall. The plant produces clusters of small, fragrant white flowers arranged in elongated, drooping structures called racemes, which can be three to six inches long.
These flowers give way to small, cherry-like fruits, which are typically one-quarter to one-half inch in diameter. The fruit initially appears green, progresses to a bright red, and finally ripens to a dark purple or nearly black color by late summer. Chokecherries are highly adaptable, thriving in a wide range of habitats across North America, including open woodlands, stream banks, and along roadsides.
Understanding Toxicity and Safety
Only the ripe fruit’s pulp is safe for consumption. The leaves, stems, bark, and most importantly, the seeds or pits inside the fruit, all contain compounds known as cyanogenic glycosides. These glycosides act as a natural defense mechanism for the plant.
When the plant material is chewed, crushed, or damaged, enzymes break down the cyanogenic glycosides, releasing a potent toxin called hydrogen cyanide. This chemical reaction is particularly hazardous if the seeds inside the fruit are broken open and ingested in large quantities. The toxicity of the foliage also increases significantly when the leaves begin to wilt, such as after a frost or storm.
Symptoms of acute cyanide poisoning in humans can include vomiting, headache, dizziness, rapid breathing, and seizures. To safely consume the fruit, proper processing is necessary to prevent the seeds from being crushed and to reduce the fruit’s natural astringency. Methods that involve cooking or mashing the fruit while keeping the pits intact are recommended, as heat can help neutralize some of the toxic compounds.
Culinary and Traditional Applications
Chokecherries are transformed into flavorful jams, jellies, syrups, and wines. These culinary preparations typically require cooking the fruit, which serves the dual purpose of enhancing its flavor profile and ensuring safety by preventing the crushing of the toxic pits. When making juice or jelly, the fruit is often pressed or cooked gently to extract the pulp without breaking the hard inner seed.
Chokecherries have a long history of use by various Indigenous populations throughout North America. Traditionally, the berries were a staple food, often dried and incorporated into pemmican, a high-energy mixture of rendered fat and dried meat. Some traditions involved deliberately pounding the entire fruit into sun-dried cakes, relying on the drying and later cooking process to mitigate toxicity.
Beyond food, the plant’s bark and dried fruit were used in traditional medicine. Decoctions made from the inner bark were historically used to treat respiratory conditions like coughs and colds, as well as stomach complaints and fevers. The fruit itself was sometimes used as an astringent to support digestive health.