Chokecherry sightings spike as this native shrub fruits nationwide
iNaturalist Community
Foraging
The dark red clusters ripening on chokecherry shrubs along trails and fencerows right now are edible once cooked into jelly or syrup, but the raw pits and leaves contain cyanide-producing compounds that make correct identification essential.
Chokecherry is a wild shrub found across much of North America, and its berries are ripening right now, which is why so many people are photographing and logging it this week. The fruit tastes puckery and sharp raw, but cooked down with sugar it makes a good jelly or syrup. Just be careful with the seeds and leaves, since they're toxic unless properly processed.
Key Findings
382 research-grade observations of chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) were logged on iNaturalist in a single week
It ranked among the top trending plant species on the platform this week
The spike lines up with the species' late-summer fruiting window across its native range
chevron_right Technical Summary
Chokecherry, a native North American shrub with tart edible berries, is having a big week on iNaturalist with 382 verified sightings, suggesting it's fruiting and catching foragers' and naturalists' eyes right now.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) — 382 observations this week
chokecherry is among the most observed plant species this week with 382 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America.