Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Choke
Cherry
Prunus virginiana
[C-value
3]
Rose family (Rosaceae)
Blooms May
The native Choke Cherry is common in our area. It prefers full sun to light shade and moist to slightly dry conditions. Habitats include woodland openings and borders, savannas and wooded ravines. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that becomes 8-25' tall at maturity. It has a short trunk about 2-6" across with ascending and spreading branches. Its toothed alternate leaves occur along young shoots and are 2-4" long and ¾–2" across, oval-shaped and tapering at the tips. Cylindrical flower racemes, 3½–6" long and about 1" in diameter, with 10-25 flowers develop at branch tips. Each flower is about ½" across when fully open with 5 white petals and yellow centers. The flowers are later replaced by "cherries" (drupes) that become dark red and then black as they mature.
Choke Cherry at Lyon Forest Preserve May 7, 2015
Choke Cherry at Lyon Forest Preserve May 7, 2015
Choke Cherry at Richard Young Forest Preserve August 22, 2015
Choke Cherry with nearly mature drupes ("cherries") at Richard Young Forest Preserve August 22, 2015
Native Americans used the Choke Cherry tree as a source of food and medicine. In early American medicine, it was considered one of the most important native drugs, ranked along with Sassafras. The berries were collected and dried for later consumption. The bark was used in the treatment of small pox, scurvy, soreness of the chest and throat, lung hemorrhages, cough, colds, inflammation of the bowel, diarrhea, stomach cramps, cholera, digestive problems, gangrenous wounds, sores, pains, severe burns and wounds. Caution: The pits of the berries can be poisonous if consumed in large quantities, and a reminder: see Do Not Disturb Notice.
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