Canada Red Chokecherry

Ornamental cherry trees are usually selected for their flowers. Here is one special for its toughness and leaf color. I first noticed the Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana ‘Canada Red’) at rest stops while travelling across the northern United States. Then while visiting Anchorage, Alaska, the Chokecherry appeared in nearly 75% of the street tree planting sites. I am most familiar with the ‘Canada Red’ variety, which is a branch sport of an earlier selection ‘Schubert’. The ‘Canada Red’ has a faster growth rate, straighter trunk, well-distributed branches, and a full-rounded crown.

Most notable and unique for this tree is when the first emerging bright green leaf completely turns a bright reddish purple by early summer. New flushes of growth later in the year stand out until they also turn to that color. Small white flowers are inconspicuous, as well as the small dark purple fruit. The upright balanced structure and form provide an attractive dark silhouette in the winter sky. The Chokecherry is also considered a good utility line tree that has a mature height of approximately 25 ft. tall by 20 ft. wide.

The most notable drawbacks we have seen are suckering at it base when young and its attraction of tent caterpillars during some years.

Overall, the Chokecherry is apparently a tough hardy tree given its popularity in severe climates. From our experience, the ‘Canada Red’ variety is the most favorable and available in the Pacific Northwest. Let me know what your experiences have been with this tree and we can pass them on.