05/25/2026
Happy Mystery Monday! 🔎 Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week's mystery is black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, pictured in photo #2.
The black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, is a native shrub in the rose family found throughout eastern North America, including all of Maryland. Adaptable and low-maintenance, it grows well in full sun to partial shade and tolerates a wide range of soils, from wet to dry, including clay. This makes it especially useful in rain gardens, naturalized plantings, and hedgerows.
In May, black chokeberry produces clusters of delicate white flowers with pink anthers that attract pollinators for several weeks. Over time, the shrub slowly spreads by suckering, sending up new shoots around the parent plant and forming dense, wildlife-friendly thickets. In autumn, its foliage becomes one of its showiest features, turning vivid shades of orange, red, and burgundy.
By late season, blackish-purple fruits develop and may persist into Winter, providing food for birds, especially as they return in early Spring. The berries are edible and high in antioxidants, though extremely tart and astringent when eaten fresh, which gives “chokeberry” its name. Cooked into jams or jellies, however, the fruit becomes much more welcome at the table.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
