Aronia melanocarpa Professor Ed

Aronia melanocarpa 'Professor Ed', also known as black chokeberry, is a compact variety that is more suitable for small gardens. It is a versatile bush that produces beautiful clusters of small, fragrant, pure white flowers in May-June, followed by abundant berries that are 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter and turn from violet to shiny black when ripe. The berries have a light blackcurrant flavour and are very nutritious, astringent, and edible in the form of jams, jellies, or pies. Hanging from thin, red petioles, they also attract birds. Its oval, glossy green foliage turns beautiful shades of orange-red in autumn before falling to the ground. Originally from wet areas in the northeastern United States, it prefers well-drained, fertile, neutral to acidic soils, and thrives in sun or partial shade. It is an easy-to-grow bush that deserves a place in a free hedge or a fruit hedge.

Originating from swamps and wet clearings in Canada and the northeastern United States, Aronia melanocarpa is a member of the vast Rosaceae family and a distant cousin of roses, plum trees, and brambles. The 'Professor Ed' variety is a compact selection that reaches 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in all directions. It has a relatively slow growth and dense vegetation. Its bark is smooth and reddish-brown. It has deciduous leaves that are alternate, simple, ovate, finely toothed, about 6 cm (2.4 in) long, with a glossy dark green colour that truly flares up in autumn, adopting various shades of orange, copper, crimson red, and purple. In April-May, pure white flowers with a diameter of 2 cm (0.8 in) appear. Gathered in clusters, they are very numerous, fragrant and honey-producing. They give way to clusters of round fruits that are green-purple and become black-purple and shiny when ripe, while their peduncles turn red. This edible fruiting has a slightly tart taste but is rich in antioxidants and persists quite long into winter if not consumed by birds.

Naturally resistant to diseases and pests, Aronia melanocarpa is an excellent free hedge shrub. It is hardy, ornamental, and undemanding. While it tolerates the presence of limestone and can adapt to poor soils, it will only reach its full potential in cool, deep, slightly acidic soil. It can be planted alone, in a free or rural hedge, as well as in large shrub beds. To achieve a spectacular effect, plant it in groups of 3 to 6 subjects. This chokeberry can be combined in a hedge that is both beautiful and edible with other shrubs that bear small fruits, have interesting foliage, or produce flowers, such as apple trees, plum trees, and ornamental cherries, deciduous viburnums, hedge honeysuckles, witch hazels, Japanese goumi, anemone trees, hawthorn, sea buckthorn, goji, and blueberries.

Aronia fruits can be consumed fresh, cooked, as jam, or as juice, which can be mixed, for example, with cranberry juice and apple juice.