No. 59

Plant of the month: August

Chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia, Aronia melanocarpa (and A. x prunifolia)

aronia; red and black

Fruit ripe berries (pomes)

Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)

Find

Common in the right habitat

Effort

Quick kitchen prep

ID risk

Beginner

Origin

native

Uses

Eat raw / salad
Baking & desserts
Jam & jelly
Syrup & cordial
Juice & drinks

Season

in season peak

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

What it looks like

Upright, suckering native shrubs of the rose family, 3-12 ft tall, with white spring flowers and brilliant red fall color. Red chokeberry has bright red, glossy, pear-shaped berries about 1/4 to 1/3 in across that hang into winter. Black chokeberry has purple-black, pea-sized fruits. The fruit is extremely astringent and mouth-puckering raw, with red chokeberry somewhat more palatable than black. It is usually cooked and sweetened into jam, jelly, juice or baked goods; the jelly sets firm because the fruit is rich in pectin.

Safety

None notable beyond astringency: NC State notes the raw red chokeberry is so astringent it may cause choking (hence the name); eat it in small bites or cooked. Make sure you have a rose-family shrub with clusters of small apple-like fruits.

ID risk: Beginner
Why: No toxic lookalike is named; confirm a rose-family shrub with clusters of small apple-like fruits.
Soil risk: low

ID risk: what this means

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Starts: late Aug
Peak: mid Sep–mid Oct
Ends: late Nov

Black chokeberry ripens in August and September; red chokeberry matures from September to November (NC State; Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia). Red chokeberry fruit can hang on into winter (NC State; MGNV), but the sources describe winter fruit as wildlife food, not as a harvest. Ripe fruit is fully colored. Both are very astringent raw; red chokeberry is the more palatable (MGNV; NC State).

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: start, peak

Start

estimated: Ripe black fruit near DC is due from late August; the July iNaturalist records show developing fruit.

Peak

estimated: No source gives a peak; mid-September to mid-October is where the two species overlap.

End

sourced

Evidence

start: NC State: black chokeberry 'Fruits display from August to September.' DC iNaturalist has 8 black-chokeberry fruiting records, July-September (many show unripe fruit). | peak: NC State: black chokeberry August-September; red chokeberry 'mature from September to November'. MGNV photo captions: 'maturing fruit in October', 'mature pomes in November'. | end: NC State: red chokeberry fruits 'mature from September to November and may persist throughout the winter months'. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia: 'Pome clusters mature Sep-Nov, persist into winter'.

Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations/histogram
Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry) Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia / Virginia Cooperative Extension

Where to look

Often planted in rain gardens and native landscaping, with wild plants in boggy spots like Suitland Bog (no picking) and on Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek (private: pick only with the owner’s permission); Mason Neck State Park has logged plants and allows fruit picking.

Habitats: street & yard trees (planted), wetlands, marshes & pond edges

Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Most-logged places

None of the most-logged places allows picking.

Ask first: rules unclear or not checked

Greenbelt North Woods and Hamilton Woods
3 sightings · Legal to pick: unknown · see them on iNaturalist
Picking rules not checked.
White Oaks Park
2 sightings · Legal to pick: unknown · see them on iNaturalist
Picking rules not checked.

No picking here (3 places)

Sligo Powerline Meadow (Pepco land)
5 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist
Pepco transmission-line land. Private property: pick only with the owner’s permission.
Suitland Bog Natural Area
3 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist
Look but don’t pick: Montgomery/Prince George’s parks (M-NCPPC) ban harvesting vegetation without a permit.
Rock Creek Park
2 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist
Look but don’t pick: Rock Creek Park’s compendium bans gathering any fruit, nut, berry, seed or greenery.

Most-logged places: what this means

The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings (rugosa rose) have no places. No most-logged places are named for at-risk plants (ramps, chinquapin, American chestnut); chinquapin’s page names Mason Neck State Park, where picking is legal, and asks you to leave most nuts. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Where you may pick

Planted specimens belong to someone, so ask before picking from landscaped or public property. C&O Canal NHP’s compendium says edible fruits, nuts and berries may be gathered by hand for personal use but sets limits only for listed species; this one is not listed, so its status there is ambiguous: confirm with the park. Rock Creek Park’s 2026 compendium bans gathering any fruits, berries or seeds for personal use.

Best legal spot: Mason Neck State Park (5 obs)

C&O Canal NHP (incl. Great Falls MD, trail-side only)
Allowed: ambiguous · no limit set for this species; by hand, personal use; confirm with the park
C&O 2026 compendium 2.1(c)(1): 'Edible fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption.' The limits table that follows does not list this species. 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1) requires designating 'certain' fruits, so the narrower reading (listed species only) is also possible. Confirm with the park.
Virginia State Parks
Allowed: yes · personal/individual use only; no quantity set (state parks within ~50 km: Mason Neck, Leesylvania); individual parks may post closures
4VAC5-30-50 bars gathering any plant without a permit, except that edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts may be collected for personal or individual use; chokeberries are edible berries

Where you may pick: what this means

For each park system: “yes” where its current rules (the park’s compendium or regulation) allow this plant or part, with the limit; “ambiguous” where the wording may or may not cover it, so ask the park; “no” where it is not allowed. Rock Creek Park, the GW Parkway sites (including Great Falls VA and Theodore Roosevelt Island), the National Mall, Montgomery and Prince George’s parks, Maryland state parks, and Fairfax and Arlington parks prohibit picking. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts allows blackberries and raspberries (one gallon per person per day) and chestnuts (one gallon per person per day). National Park Service rules are reissued every year; other parks change theirs from time to time, so check the park’s current rules. The Where you may pick page has every park’s rules.

Every park’s rules

Ways to use it

jam/jelly (high pectin)
eat raw (red chokeberry is the less astringent)
juice
syrup
baked goods such as pancakes, crisps and pies

Keeping

Refrigerate after picking and freeze within a week or two; freezing also softens the astringency.

Use within: weeks
Keeps fresh: Refrigerate soon after harvest (Wisconsin Extension). Firm berries; general guidance for firm berries such as blueberries is up to about 2 weeks refrigerated and unwashed.
Canning: lab-tested: jam (generic berry recipe; aronia not named) (NCHFP)
Keeping basis: general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

Freeze as researched: freeze; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)
Freeze fresh; frozen berries are a little less astringent (Iowa State).
Jam/jelly as researched: jam/jelly; canning: lab-tested: jam (generic berry recipe; aronia not named) (NCHFP)
Iowa State Extension points aronia preservers to NCHFP’s generic berry-jam recipe (boiling-water canner), which does not name aronia.
Syrup as researched: syrup/cordial; canning: no tested recipe — refrigerate or freeze
Juice and syrup are standard products (Wisconsin); freeze or refrigerate the juice.

Canning: what this means

Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.

Keeping basis: what this means

“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).

Nutrition

How much of a day’s needs one standard serving (140 g) provides, using the FDA’s daily values and serving sizes. The FDA calls 20% or more “high” and 10–19% a “good source”. Every figure below is listed with its source; where the sources disagree, all of them are shown and no conclusion is drawn.

Vitamin C: the analyses differ

Basis inferred by AI for: Boyacı et al. 2023.

Skupień & Oszmiański 2007: 13%, 3%, 5% and 6% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 8.4 mg (per 100 g fresh weight, raw). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated plantation (planted 1995) at Rajkowo Experimental Station near Szczecin, NW Poland; cultivar not named; 1-kg bulk samples picked at full ripeness 7 Sept 2005; each treatment 5 bushes x 3 replicates; values are means of three determinations, per fresh weight; fresh fruit stored overnight at 5 C before analysis. Treatment: control (basic N only, foliar spray of adjuvant in water) Working: 8.4 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 11.76 mg; daily value 90 mg; 13%.
Recorded: 1.9 mg (per 100 g fresh weight, raw). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated plantation (planted 1995) at Rajkowo Experimental Station near Szczecin, NW Poland; cultivar not named; 1-kg bulk samples picked at full ripeness 7 Sept 2005; each treatment 5 bushes x 3 replicates; values are means of three determinations, per fresh weight; fresh fruit stored overnight at 5 C before analysis. Treatment: foliar manganese chelate Working: 1.9 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 2.66 mg; daily value 90 mg; 3%.
Recorded: 3.4 mg (per 100 g fresh weight, raw). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated plantation (planted 1995) at Rajkowo Experimental Station near Szczecin, NW Poland; cultivar not named; 1-kg bulk samples picked at full ripeness 7 Sept 2005; each treatment 5 bushes x 3 replicates; values are means of three determinations, per fresh weight; fresh fruit stored overnight at 5 C before analysis. Treatment: foliar Alkalin (N, K, Si) Working: 3.4 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 4.76 mg; daily value 90 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 3.9 mg (per 100 g fresh weight, raw). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated plantation (planted 1995) at Rajkowo Experimental Station near Szczecin, NW Poland; cultivar not named; 1-kg bulk samples picked at full ripeness 7 Sept 2005; each treatment 5 bushes x 3 replicates; values are means of three determinations, per fresh weight; fresh fruit stored overnight at 5 C before analysis. Treatment: foliar manganese + Alkalin Working: 3.9 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 5.46 mg; daily value 90 mg; 6%.
The effect of mineral fertilization on nutritive value and biological activity of chokeberry fruit
Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 23%, 30%, 26% and 6% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 14.9 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 14.9 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 20.86 mg; daily value 90 mg; 23%.
Recorded: 19.3 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 19.3 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 27.02 mg; daily value 90 mg; 30%.
Recorded: 16.4 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 16.4 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 22.96 mg; daily value 90 mg; 26%.
Recorded: 4.0 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 4 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 5.6 mg; daily value 90 mg; 6%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)
Krektun et al. 2026: 80% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, from agrarian farms in the Lviv region, Ukraine; fresh ripe berries, hand-picked, stored at 4 °C until use; year and cultivar not stated; 5-7 replicates per group
Recorded: 51.57 mg (per 100 g sample wet weight, fresh berry extract). Working: 51.57 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 72.198 mg; daily value 90 mg; 80%.
Content of biologically active compounds and antioxidant capacity of berry fruits from Aronia melanocarpa, Prunus spinosa, Sambucus nigra and Rubus fruticosus
Boyacı et al. 2023: 57%, 45%, 40%, 47%, 38% and 55% of daily value (6 figures in this study)
Recorded: 36.92 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 1 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 36.92 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 51.688 mg; daily value 90 mg; 57%.
Recorded: 28.91 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 2 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 28.91 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 40.474 mg; daily value 90 mg; 45%.
Recorded: 25.51 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 3 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 25.51 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 35.714 mg; daily value 90 mg; 40%.
Recorded: 29.91 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Viking', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 1 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 29.91 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 41.874 mg; daily value 90 mg; 47%.
Recorded: 24.57 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Viking', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 2 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 24.57 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 34.398 mg; daily value 90 mg; 38%.
Recorded: 35.31 mg (per 100 g, as printed; fruit homogenate, basis presumably fresh). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Viking', cultivated (private orchard established 2019, irrigated and fertilized), Kirsehir province, Turkey (1082 m); harvest period 3 of 3 in 2022 (late August to mid-September); 3 replications; fruit homogenate frozen before HPLC (the paper calls the samples 'chokeberry juice samples' but the method uses 1 g of homogenized fruit) Working: 35.31 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 49.434 mg; daily value 90 mg; 55%.
Determination of the phytochemical contents and pomological properties of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) fruit in different harvesting periods
Skender et al. 2017: 64%, 49% and 49% of daily value (3 figures in this study)
Recorded: 41.09 mg (per 100 g fresh weight (table footnote '*FW - fresh weight')). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated orchard (5.2 ha) in Bihac municipality, Una-Sana Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina; treatment: control (untreated); fruit at full ripening; year and number of samples not stated Working: 41.09 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 57.526 mg; daily value 90 mg; 64%.
Recorded: 31.78 mg (per 100 g fresh weight (table footnote '*FW - fresh weight')). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated orchard (5.2 ha) in Bihac municipality, Una-Sana Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina; treatment: mineral nitrate fertilizers (UREA + KAN); fruit at full ripening; year and number of samples not stated Working: 31.78 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 44.492 mg; daily value 90 mg; 49%.
Recorded: 31.5 mg (per 100 g fresh weight (table footnote '*FW - fresh weight')). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa cv. 'Nero', cultivated orchard (5.2 ha) in Bihac municipality, Una-Sana Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina; treatment: mineral + organic foliar fertilizer (PEPTONE); fruit at full ripening; year and number of samples not stated Working: 31.5 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 44.1 mg; daily value 90 mg; 49%.
Effects of Fertilization on Vegetative Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa Elliot)
Simakhina 2024: 217% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (аронія чорноплідна), described as wild-growing berries ('дикорослих ягід'), collected in 2023; place, cultivar and number of samples not stated; fresh berries
Recorded: 139.5 mg (per 100 g fresh berries). Working: 139.5 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 195.3 mg; daily value 90 mg; 217%.
The scientific approaches to select a method for berries preservation with the minimal losses of vitamin complex
Asănică et al. 2019: 62% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa fruit provided by the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest (Faculty of Horticulture), Romania; frozen; cultivar, year and number of samples not stated; HPLC-HRMS
Recorded: 39.785 mg (per 100 g frozen fruit (raw, frozen at the IBA Bucharest pilot plant)). Working: 39.785 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 55.699 mg; daily value 90 mg; 62%.
Internal Validation of the Methods for Determination of Water-Soluble Vitamins from Frozen Fruits by HPLC-HRMS
Lubich et al. 2022: 218% and 171% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 140 mg (per 100 g fresh berries (the text gives vitamin C as 110-140 mg/100 g berries)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Belder' (from Finland, as printed), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 140 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 196 mg; daily value 90 mg; 218%.
Recorded: 110 mg (per 100 g fresh berries (the text gives vitamin C as 110-140 mg/100 g berries)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Kutno' (from Poland), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 110 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 154 mg; daily value 90 mg; 171%.
Quality formation of berries and jam of different chokeberry varieties (Формування якості ягід і варення різних сортів аронії чорноплідної)
Rusnac & Sava 2018: 45%, 26% and 27% of daily value (3 figures in this study)
Recorded: 29.04 mg per 100 g ('mg %') (fresh fruit, as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated collection plot of the Small Fruits and Strawberry Laboratory, Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies, central Moldova; ripe fruit hand-harvested in September 2015; cultivar and number of samples not stated; methods not described beyond 'methods established for research' Working: 29.04 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 40.656 mg; daily value 90 mg; 45%.
Recorded: 16.72 mg per 100 g ('mg %') (fresh fruit, as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated collection plot of the Small Fruits and Strawberry Laboratory, Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies, central Moldova; ripe fruit hand-harvested in September 2016; cultivar and number of samples not stated; methods not described beyond 'methods established for research' Working: 16.72 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 23.408 mg; daily value 90 mg; 26%.
Recorded: 17.6 mg per 100 g ('mg %') (fresh fruit, as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa, cultivated collection plot of the Small Fruits and Strawberry Laboratory, Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies, central Moldova; ripe fruit hand-harvested in September 2017; cultivar and number of samples not stated; methods not described beyond 'methods established for research' Working: 17.6 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 24.64 mg; daily value 90 mg; 27%.
Study about the biochemical composition of chokeberries fruits
Kosiv & Dzinyak 2025: 206% of daily value
Sample: Black chokeberry (чорноплідна горобина / аронія; Latin name not printed), described as wild-growing ('дикорослих'), hand-picked in Lviv oblast, Ukraine, September-October 2024; 4 containers of 250 g
Recorded: 132.2 mg per 100 g ('мг%') (fresh fruit). Working: 132.2 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 185.08 mg; daily value 90 mg; 206%.
Wild plant fruits - a promising raw material for the production of functional foods

Dietary fiber: high

Basis inferred by AI for: Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023.

Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023: 34% and 32% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 67.0 g/kg (per kg fruit (frozen-thawed whole raw berries); not labeled fresh or dry in the table, but dry weight is reported separately and the samples were whole frozen fruit). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa 'Melrom', cultivated (experimental plots planted 2011, no fertilizer or irrigation), Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti, Arges County, Romania; fruit picked at full black-purple maturity in 6-9 pickings per year, 2019-2022, from 9 bushes; frozen at -18 C and thawed before analysis; mean of three determinations per cultivar per year (4 years) Working: 6.7 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 9.38 g; daily value 28 g; 34%.
Recorded: 64.43 g/kg (per kg fruit (frozen-thawed whole raw berries); not labeled fresh or dry in the table, but dry weight is reported separately and the samples were whole frozen fruit). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa 'Nero', cultivated (experimental plots planted 2011, no fertilizer or irrigation), Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti, Arges County, Romania; fruit picked at full black-purple maturity in 6-9 pickings per year, 2019-2022, from 9 bushes; frozen at -18 C and thawed before analysis; mean of three determinations per cultivar per year (4 years) Working: 6.443 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 9.0202 g; daily value 28 g; 32%.
Effect of cultivar, year, and their interaction on nutritional and energy value components in Aronia melanocarpa berries
Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 29%, 31%, 24% and 28% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 5.84 g (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 5.84 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 8.176 g; daily value 28 g; 29%.
Recorded: 6.16 g (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 6.16 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 8.624 g; daily value 28 g; 31%.
Recorded: 4.82 g (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 4.82 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 6.748 g; daily value 28 g; 24%.
Recorded: 5.67 g (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 5.67 g per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 7.938 g; daily value 28 g; 28%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)

Manganese: the analyses differ

Basis inferred by AI for: Selimović et al. 2026.

Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 8%, 11%, 16% and 8% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 0.132 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.132 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.1848 mg; daily value 2.3 mg; 8%.
Recorded: 0.177 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.177 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.2478 mg; daily value 2.3 mg; 11%.
Recorded: 0.263 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.263 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.3682 mg; daily value 2.3 mg; 16%.
Recorded: 0.129 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.129 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.1806 mg; daily value 2.3 mg; 8%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)
Selimović et al. 2026: 34% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (sample S17), cultivated, one urban location at Sjenica, Pester Plateau, Serbia (about 1030 m), summer 2024; about 300 g ripe fruit; frozen, homogenized, microwave acid digestion, ICP-OES; number analyzed: 3
Recorded: 5.63 µg/g (per g of frozen homogenized fruit (fresh weight implied by the method; not stated explicitly)). Working: 0.563 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.7882 mg; daily value 2.3 mg; 34%.
Trace and Macroelement Profiles in Wild and Cultivated Fruits From Serbia

Vitamin K: high

Unconfirmed: only one analysis, and it would rank 3 of 66 raw fruits in USDA SR Legacy.

Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 33%, 26%, 21% and 34% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 28.2 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 28.2 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 39.48 µg; daily value 120 µg; 33%.
Recorded: 21.9 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 21.9 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 30.66 µg; daily value 120 µg; 26%.
Recorded: 17.8 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 17.8 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 24.92 µg; daily value 120 µg; 21%.
Recorded: 28.8 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 28.8 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 40.32 µg; daily value 120 µg; 34%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)

Magnesium: the analyses differ

Basis inferred by AI for: Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023; Selimović et al. 2026.

Wainio & Forbes 1941: 10% and 23% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 0.03 percent (g per 100 g) (fresh basis, whole fruit as collected (seeds ground in with the flesh), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed, authority Britton & Brown 1936), field-collected in a forest wildlife-food survey (the paper does not say wild or planted; only three nut samples were bought at market), Centre County, Pennsylvania, collected July 31, 1939; portion analyzed 'Whole berries' (seeds ground in); single sample; ripeness not stated (the table flags other samples as unripe but not this one) Working: 30 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 42 mg; daily value 420 mg; 10%.
Recorded: 0.07 percent (g per 100 g) (fresh basis, whole fruit as collected (seeds ground in with the flesh), as printed). Sample: Aronia arbutifolia (name as printed, authority Britton & Brown 1936), field-collected in a forest wildlife-food survey (the paper does not say wild or planted; only three nut samples were bought at market), Centre County, Pennsylvania, collected Oct. 18, 1939; portion analyzed 'Whole berries' (seeds ground in); single sample; ripeness not stated Working: 70 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 98 mg; daily value 420 mg; 23%.
The chemical composition of forest fruits and nuts from Pennsylvania
Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023: 6% and 12% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 0.19 g/kg (per kg fruit (ash of 500 g frozen chokeberries); the table does not say fresh or dry, the method implies fresh (frozen) fruit). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa 'Melrom', cultivated (experimental plots planted 2011, no fertilizer or irrigation), Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti, Arges County, Romania; fruit picked at full black-purple maturity in 6-9 pickings per year, 2019-2022, from 9 bushes; frozen at -18 C and thawed before analysis; mean of three determinations per cultivar per year (4 years) Working: 19 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 26.6 mg; daily value 420 mg; 6%.
Recorded: 0.35 g/kg (per kg fruit (ash of 500 g frozen chokeberries); the table does not say fresh or dry, the method implies fresh (frozen) fruit). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa 'Nero', cultivated (experimental plots planted 2011, no fertilizer or irrigation), Research Institute for Fruit Growing Pitesti, Arges County, Romania; fruit picked at full black-purple maturity in 6-9 pickings per year, 2019-2022, from 9 bushes; frozen at -18 C and thawed before analysis; mean of three determinations per cultivar per year (4 years) Working: 35 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 49 mg; daily value 420 mg; 12%.
Effect of cultivar, year, and their interaction on nutritional and energy value components in Aronia melanocarpa berries
Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 5%, 5%, 5% and 6% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 16.0 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 16 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 22.4 mg; daily value 420 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 15.5 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 15.5 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 21.7 mg; daily value 420 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 16.0 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 16 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 22.4 mg; daily value 420 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 17.4 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 17.4 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 24.36 mg; daily value 420 mg; 6%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)
Lubich et al. 2022: 5% and 4% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 15 mg (per 100 g fresh berries ('% на фактичну вологість' section of a table headed мг/100 г)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Belder' (from Finland, as printed), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 15 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 21 mg; daily value 420 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 13 mg (per 100 g fresh berries ('% на фактичну вологість' section of a table headed мг/100 г)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Kutno' (from Poland), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 13 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 18.2 mg; daily value 420 mg; 4%.
Quality formation of berries and jam of different chokeberry varieties (Формування якості ягід і варення різних сортів аронії чорноплідної)
Selimović et al. 2026: 8% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (sample S17), cultivated, one urban location at Sjenica, Pester Plateau, Serbia (about 1030 m), summer 2024; about 300 g ripe fruit; frozen, homogenized, microwave acid digestion, ICP-OES; number analyzed: 3
Recorded: 0.225 mg/g (per g of frozen homogenized fruit (fresh weight implied by the method; not stated explicitly)). Working: 22.5 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 31.5 mg; daily value 420 mg; 8%.
Trace and Macroelement Profiles in Wild and Cultivated Fruits From Serbia

Vitamin A: the samples differ

Unconfirmed: only one analysis, and it would rank 2 of 101 raw fruits in USDA SR Legacy.

Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 14%, 16%, 15% and 8% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: beta-Carotene 855.0 µg; alpha-Carotene 6.7 µg; beta-Cryptoxanthin 396.0 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 88.0292 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 123.241 µg; daily value 900 µg; 14%.
Recorded: beta-Carotene 887.0 µg; alpha-Carotene 6.4 µg; beta-Cryptoxanthin 649.0 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 101.225 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 141.715 µg; daily value 900 µg; 16%.
Recorded: beta-Carotene 846.0 µg; alpha-Carotene 6.4 µg; beta-Cryptoxanthin 573.0 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 94.6417 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 132.498 µg; daily value 900 µg; 15%.
Recorded: beta-Carotene 495.0 µg; alpha-Carotene 10.6 µg; beta-Cryptoxanthin 234.0 µg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 51.4417 µg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 72.0184 µg; daily value 900 µg; 8%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)

Vitamin E: good source

Unconfirmed: only one analysis, and it would rank 5 of 71 raw fruits in USDA SR Legacy.

Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 14%, 13%, 14% and 13% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 1.47 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.47 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 2.058 mg; daily value 15 mg; 14%.
Recorded: 1.42 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.42 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.988 mg; daily value 15 mg; 13%.
Recorded: 1.45 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.45 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 2.03 mg; daily value 15 mg; 14%.
Recorded: 1.35 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.35 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.89 mg; daily value 15 mg; 13%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)

Iron: the analyses differ

Basis inferred by AI for: Selimović et al. 2026.

Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: 5%, 3%, 13% and 8% of daily value (4 figures in this study)
Recorded: 0.62 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Sapporo (Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center), trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-08-26; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.62 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.868 mg; daily value 18 mg; 5%.
Recorded: 0.33 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Otaki village, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-14; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 0.33 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 0.462 mg; daily value 18 mg; 3%.
Recorded: 1.68 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of Russian origin, harvested 1998-09-12; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.68 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 2.352 mg; daily value 18 mg; 13%.
Recorded: 1.08 mg (per 100 g fruit as analyzed (fresh, after frozen storage), as printed). Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (name as printed in the English abstract), cultivated, Hokkaido, Japan; Ebetsu city, trees of North American origin, harvested 1998-09-19; one sample per site (4 samples from 3 places); fruit frozen at -80 °C and thawed for analysis; cultivar not named. Caveat: the Russian-origin trees were introduced from the former USSR in 1976; the paper does not discuss whether they are what some taxonomists call A. x mitschurinii. Working: 1.08 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.512 mg; daily value 18 mg; 8%.
Chemical Components and Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (アロニアの化学成分含量と特性値)
Lubich et al. 2022: 10% and 8% of daily value (2 figures in this study)
Recorded: 1.3 mg (per 100 g fresh berries ('% на фактичну вологість' section of a table headed мг/100 г)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Belder' (from Finland, as printed), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 1.3 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.82 mg; daily value 18 mg; 10%.
Recorded: 1.0 mg (per 100 g fresh berries ('% на фактичну вологість' section of a table headed мг/100 г)). Sample: Black chokeberry (аронія чорноплідна, i.e. Aronia melanocarpa; Latin name not printed) cv. 'Kutno' (from Poland), cultivated in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture and the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet); fresh berries, 2020-2021; number of samples not stated Working: 1 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.4 mg; daily value 18 mg; 8%.
Quality formation of berries and jam of different chokeberry varieties (Формування якості ягід і варення різних сортів аронії чорноплідної)
Selimović et al. 2026: 10% of daily value
Sample: Aronia melanocarpa (sample S17), cultivated, one urban location at Sjenica, Pester Plateau, Serbia (about 1030 m), summer 2024; about 300 g ripe fruit; frozen, homogenized, microwave acid digestion, ICP-OES; number analyzed: 3
Recorded: 12.7 µg/g (per g of frozen homogenized fruit (fresh weight implied by the method; not stated explicitly)). Working: 1.27 mg per 100 g × 140 g ÷ 100 = 1.778 mg; daily value 18 mg; 10%.
Trace and Macroelement Profiles in Wild and Cultivated Fruits From Serbia

Other figures, each under 10% of daily value (33)

Lubich et al. 2022: Calcium 3%, 3%; Potassium 5%, 5%
Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023: Calcium 4%, 8%; Phosphorus 3%, 6%; Potassium 8%, 8%
Selimović et al. 2026: Calcium 8%; Potassium 8%; Zinc 8%
Tanaka & Tanaka 2001: Calcium 2%, 4%, 3%, 5%; Folate 1%, 1%, 1%, 1%; Potassium 5%, 7%, 8%, 7%; Zinc 1%, 1%, 3%, 2%
Wainio & Forbes 1941: Calcium 6%, 8%; Phosphorus 3%, 6%

Figures left out, and why (19 studies; 10 with no figure used)

The calendar counts a study with no figure used here when one of its vitamin, mineral or dietary fiber figures was left out as a dried sample, another part, or for an unclear species, part or basis; figures given per amount of juice are not counted.

Wainio & Forbes 1941 (other figures from this study are used above): ash has no FDA daily value; crude fiber is a different measure from dietary fiber, the FDA daily value is for dietary fiber; no FDA daily value; protein: the FDA percent daily value for protein must be corrected for protein quality (PDCAAS, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)(ii)), which this analysis does not report; total fat has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber
Skupień & Oszmiański 2007 (other figures from this study are used above): no FDA daily value
Mazilu & Cosmulescu 2023 (other figures from this study are used above): carbohydrate has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber; no FDA daily value; unit not converted: x 10-3 g/kg (as printed: the amount is multiplied by 10^-3 g per kg) (per kg fruit (ash of 500 g frozen chokeberries); the table does not say fresh or dry, the method implies fresh (frozen) fruit)
Šnebergrová et al. 2014 (counted in the calendar): no FDA daily value; round-1 source without a basis/part call; species, part or state not clear: Species and part match, but the mean pools 8 fresh-frozen and 2 dried-then-reconstituted samples, so the state is mixed.
Tanaka & Tanaka 2001 (other figures from this study are used above): carbohydrate has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber; no FDA daily value; not measured in the cited work: derived (by difference); protein: the FDA percent daily value for protein must be corrected for protein quality (PDCAAS, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)(ii)), which this analysis does not report; total fat has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber
Ochmian et al. 2009: given per amount of juice, not per weight of the fruit: per 100 g fruit JUICE pressed from fresh berries (Methods: 'expressed as mg per 100 g fruit juice'); mean of 2007-2008; species, part or state not clear: Measured with a Merck RQflex 10 reflectometer (test strips) on juice; Unclear because the basis is juice, not whole fresh fruit. This is reference [12] of the Sidor & Gramza-Michalowska 2019 review.
Şaşmaz et al. 2024: no FDA daily value
Boyacı et al. 2023 (other figures from this study are used above): no FDA daily value
Hwang & Do 2016: no FDA daily value; protein: the FDA percent daily value for protein must be corrected for protein quality (PDCAAS, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)(ii)), which this analysis does not report; species, part or state not clear: Unclear: the Methods say fresh fruit was used, but the printed moisture (29.5-31.6%) is impossible for fresh chokeberries (about 75-85%), so the basis of all Table 1 values is in doubt.; total fat has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber
Skender et al. 2017 (other figures from this study are used above): no FDA daily value
Simakhina et al. 2019 (counted in the calendar): species, part or state not clear: Unclear because the species is not named. The value is far above every other chokeberry vitamin C figure found (2-52 mg/100 g in most studies); DCPIP titration of dark berries can overestimate.
Simakhina 2024 (other figures from this study are used above): vitamin A: the method measures total carotenoids, not the provitamin A carotenoids one by one, so it cannot be converted to vitamin A (µg RAE)
Servi et al. 2025 (counted in the calendar): basis not clear: per g fruit; fresh or dry basis not stated; species, part or state not clear: Unclear: the basis (fresh or dry weight) of the µg/g values is not stated. Plausibility concerns: folic acid 14.0 µg/g and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12, not normally present in plants) 5.33 µg/g reported in the same set.; vitamin A as printed, without its form, cannot be converted to vitamin A (µg RAE)
Lubich et al. 2022 (other figures from this study are used above): crude fiber is a different measure from dietary fiber, the FDA daily value is for dietary fiber; no FDA daily value; protein: the FDA percent daily value for protein must be corrected for protein quality (PDCAAS, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)(ii)), which this analysis does not report; total fat has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber; unit not converted: mg (unit not printed in the table) (per 100 g fresh berries (the text gives vitamin C as 110-140 mg/100 g berries)); vitamin A given as retinol equivalents, without how they were computed or a printed unit, so it is not converted to µg RAE
Rusnac & Sava 2018 (other figures from this study are used above): no FDA daily value
Sergunova & Bokov 2019 (counted in the calendar): basis not clear: fresh fruit row; whether per fresh or per dry weight is not stated; flagged implausible; species, part or state not clear: 0.19% equals 190 mg/100 g if on fresh weight, which is implausible; pharmacopoeial convention (Russian State Pharmacopoeia) expresses results on absolutely dry raw material, so the basis is probably dry weight but the paper does not say. The quoted row is the 'Fresh' row directly under 'Black chokeberry fruits*'.
Sosnowska et al. 2022 (counted in the calendar): dry or dried basis: per 100 g fruit dry weight (DW); no FDA daily value; protein: the FDA percent daily value for protein must be corrected for protein quality (PDCAAS, 21 CFR 101.9(c)(7)(ii)), which this analysis does not report; total fat has an FDA daily value, but the panels show only vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber
Skupien et al. 2008: no FDA daily value
Topalović et al. 2026 (counted in the calendar): dry or dried basis: per kg fruit, fresh weight (inferred: the Methods say the lyophilized-sample results were converted to fresh weight using the measured dry matter; Table 2 does not label the basis); not measured in the cited work: derived (authors' mean of 15 composite samples)

What was searched

Europe PMC: searched 2026-10-09, 444 records; 420 after removing duplicates across databases; 9 candidates by title and abstract; 7 read in full; 5 with figures used
PubMed: searched 2026-10-09, 338 records; 338 after removing duplicates across databases; 7 candidates by title and abstract; 6 read in full; 4 with figures used
OpenAlex: searched 2026-10-09, 1236 records; 1216 after removing duplicates across databases; 57 candidates by title and abstract; 24 read in full; 18 with figures used
Crossref: searched 2026-10-09, 161 records; 154 after removing duplicates across databases; 8 candidates by title and abstract; 4 read in full; 1 with figures used
J-STAGE (Japan): searched 2026-10-09, 41 records; 41 after removing duplicates across databases; 2 candidates by title and abstract; 2 read in full; 1 with figures used
USDA FoodData Central (online search): searched 2026-10-09, 0 records; 0 after removing duplicates across databases; 0 candidates by title and abstract; 0 read in full; 0 with figures used
USDA FoodData Central (downloaded SR Legacy 2018 and Foundation 2026 tables): searched 2026-10-09, 0 records; 0 after removing duplicates across databases; 0 candidates by title and abstract; 0 read in full; 0 with figures used
All databases together: 2220 records from all databases, 1390 unique, 62 candidates, 27 read, 19 used; 35 not read (paywalled 6, blocked automated access 19, not online 10)
KCI (Korea), CNKI (China), SciELO (Latin America), CORE, USDA’s AGRICOLA and PubAg, Google Scholar, and national food composition tables other than USDA’s: not searched (October 2026).

The counts are of papers new in this search. Sources found before this search (such as USDA’s entries) were not counted again.

Each database was searched for the plant’s scientific and common names together with nutrient words (composition, nutrient, vitamin, mineral, fiber, protein and others), in titles and abstracts only. Papers that don’t name the plant there, and words not on the list (such as fat, energy and moisture), were missed unless another paper led to them; the AI researchers found some that way.

Found but not read (35)

Analysis of Selected Properties of Fruits of Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) from Organic and Conventional Cultivation Magdalena Trenka; Agnieszka Nawirska‐Olszańska; Maciej Oziembłowski 2020; not read: the site blocked automated access
Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of small fruits in Lithuania Pranas Viškelis; M. Rubinskienė; Ramunė Bobinaitė; E. Dambrauskienė 2010; not read: not online
Bioactive Compounds of Indigenous Canadian Small Fruits: UHPLC-HRMS-Based Phytochemical Characterization, Mineral Composition and Their Antioxidant Activity Chamali Kodikara; Srinivas Sura; Thomas Netticadan; Nandika Bandara; Champa P. Wijekoon 2025; not read: the site blocked automated access
Biochemical changes in two Aronia melanocarpa cultivars’ berries during the harvest season Ivona Mazilu; Mihaela Paraschiv; Marinela Diaconescu Dinu; Sina Niculina Cosmulescu 2021; not read: the site blocked automated access
Biochemical composition of quince, chokeberry, grape wines, their raw materials and press residues Kersti Seeme 2022; not read: not online
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa(Michx.) Elliot) Fruits and Functional Drinks Differ Significantly in Their Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity Petko Nedyalkov Denev; Maria G. Kratchanova; Ivalina Petrova; Daniela Klisurova; Yordan Nikolaev Georgiev; Manol Hristov Ognyanov; Irina Z. Yanakieva 2018; not read: the site blocked automated access
BLACK CHOKEBERRY (ARONIA MELANOCARPA) AS POTENTIAL COMPONENT OF FUNCTIONAL FOOD Małgorzata Białek; Jarosława Rutkowska; Ewelina Wiktoria Hallmann 2012; not read: not online
Chemical Characterisation of the Fruit of Black Chokeberry Grown on Different Types of Soil Milena Djurić; Milan Pavlovic; Srecko Curèic 2015; not read: not online
Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of fresh and processed black chokeberry fruits. Marianna Sergeyevna Voronina; Nadezhda Viktorovna Makarova 2015; not read: not online
Chemical Composition of Aronia melanocarpa T. Kadier; Guangyao Sun; Yongji Huang 2021; not read: paywalled
Chemical composition of Aronia melanocarpa Elliot.Fruits O.I. Kamzolova; L.M. Isachenko; S.L. Lipskaya 2003; not read: not online
Comparative analysis of bioactive compounds identified in the fruits of three chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) cultivars in different cultivation systems Anca Maria Chiorean; Zsolt Jakab-Ilyefalvi; Smaranda Doina Roșu Mareș; Georgeta Maria Guzu; Claudiu MOLDOVAN; Ioan Zagrai; Mirela Irina Cordea; Floricuța Ranga; Loredana Florina LEOPOLD; Florina Scurtu 2025; not read: the site blocked automated access
Comparison of Some Morphological Features, Quality and Chemical Content of Four Cultivars of Chokeberry Fruits (Aronia melanocarpa) Ireneusz Dariusz OCHMIAN; Józef Grajkowski; Miłosz Smolik 2012; not read: the site blocked automated access
Cultivation value and fruit quality of black chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. and A. melanocarpa Elliot) varieties on the basis of composition. (Preliminary report) A. Porpáczy; M. László; S. Porpaczyne Zombori; Klára Szentmihályi 1996; not read: not online
Determination of Carotenoids in Fruits of Rosa sp. (Rosa Canina and Rosa Rugosa) and of Chokeberry (Aronia Melanocarpa) Alain J. Razungles; Jan Oszmiański; J.C. Sapis 1989; not read: the site blocked automated access
Determination of Phytochemical Composition in Fruits and Leaves from Different Origins: Black Mulberry, Chokeberry and Elderberry Genotypes Rukiye Zengin; Zeynep Maraş; Uğur Yılmaz; Onural Özhan; Fırat Ege Karaat; Selım Erdoğan 2024; not read: the site blocked automated access
Effect of soil management systems on the generative potential and fruit quality of black chokeberry Svetlana M. Paunović; Mira Milinković; ŽAKLINA KARAKLAJIĆ-STAJIĆ; Jelena M. Tomić; Boris Rilak 2021; not read: the site blocked automated access
Effects of fertiliser application and shading on pomological properties and chemical composition of Aronia melanocarpa fruit in organic production Boban Đorđević; Dejan S. Pljevljakušić; Katarina Šavikin; Dubravka Bigović; Teodora Janković; Nebojsa R. Menkovic; Gordana M. Zdunić 2021; not read: the site blocked automated access
Effects of harvest date on plant growth parameters and fruit phytochemical contents in different cultivars of chokeberry Nafiye Ünal; Mehmet Ali Sarıdaş; Erdal Ağçam; Asiye Akyıldız; Sevgi Paydaş Kargı 2023; not read: the site blocked automated access
Estimation the Quality of Wild Plant Raw for Production of Healthy Food Галина Олександрівна Сімахіна; Наталья Владимировна Науменко 2014; not read: the site blocked automated access
FRUIT QUALITY AND CONSUMPTION BY SONGBIRDS DURING AUTUMN MIGRATION Susan Belasco Smith; KATHLEEN H. McPHERSON; JEFFREY M. BACKER; Barbara J. Pierce; David W. Podlesak; Scott R. McWilliams 2007; not read: the site blocked automated access
Influence of agro-ecological factors on phenotypic and chemical characteristics of chokeberry fruit in the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina Jasna Hasanbegović; Aleksandra Šupljeglav Jukić; Jasmina Aliman; Semina Hadžiabulić; Semira Dedić; Azra Skender; Boris Dorbić; Sezai Ercişli 2026; not read: the site blocked automated access
Influence of freezing, lyophilisation and air‐drying on the total monomeric anthocyanins, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity of selected berries Katarzyna Sadowska; Jadwiga Andrzejewska; Łukasz Klóska 2017; not read: the site blocked automated access
Inhibition of Cancer Cell Proliferation in Vitro by Fruit and Berry Extracts and Correlations with Antioxidant Levels Marie E Olsson; Karl‐Erik Gustavsson; Staffan Andersson; Åke Nilsson; Rui‐Dong Duan 2004; not read: the site blocked automated access
Initial growth and yield of the black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) grown on the dystric cambisol and calcareous chernozem soils and mineral composition of its fruits. Slavko Radanović; B. S. Antic ́-Mladenovic ́; Dimitrije Sekulić; M. J. Ninkov; D. B. Radanovic; Z. D. Stevanović; Dragoja Radanović 2012; not read: not online
NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF MINOR FRUITS IN LATVIA Solvita Kampuse; Zanda Krūma; K. Kampuss; I. Krasnova 2010; not read: paywalled
Optimization of Primary Metabolites and Antimicrobial Activity in Aronia Berries as Affected by Soil Cultivation Systems Svetlana M. Paunović; Pavle Mašković; Mira Milinković 2022; not read: paywalled
Phytochemical analysis of Aronia melanocarpa and ×Sorbaronia fallax fruit V. M. Mezhenskyj; L.M. Shevchuk; S. P. Kovalchuk; O. S. Havryliuk; L. M. Levchuk; Svitlana Babenko; Yuliia Vintskovska 2024; not read: the site blocked automated access
Polyphenols, Anthocyanins, Ascorbic Acid, and Radical Scavenging Activity of Rubus, Ribes, and Aronia Stefania Benvenuti; Federica Pellati; M. MELEGARI; Davide Bertelli 2004; not read: paywalled
Pomological, Morphological, and Biochemical Characteristics of Black Chokeberry (× Sorbaronia fallax nothosubsp. mitschurinii ) Cultivars Yazgan Tunç 2026; not read: the site blocked automated access
The changes of the sugars and sorbitol in rowanberries and chokeberries after freezing and thawing. E. Berņa; Solvita Kampuse; L. Ozoliņa; Zinta Gaile 2010; not read: not online
The effect of plant age and harvest time on the content of chosen components and antioxidative potential of black chokeberry fruit Jadwiga Andrzejewska; Katarzyna Sadowska; Łukasz Klóska; L. Rogowski 2015; not read: not online
The effects of fertilizer rate on vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality, with special respect to pigments, in black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) cv. `Viking' N. Jeppsson 2000; not read: paywalled
The effects of harvesting time on the physicochemical components of aronia berry Sevgi Poyraz Engin; Cevriye Mert 2019; not read: the site blocked automated access
Trace Element and Mineral Content in Medicinal Plants Collected in the Altai Mountains Foothills. Alexey A. Tinkov; Tatiana V. Korobeinikova; Oksana V. Baranova; Jung-Su Chang; Jane C.-J. Chao; E.V. Rylina; N. Tejo Prakash; Ольга Николаевна Немерешина; Anatoly V. Skalny 2025; not read: paywalled

Collected in October 2026 by AI research agents, following written rules; the calendar’s figures were then checked independently.

Native or not

All native; A. x prunifolia is a hybrid of the two native species.

Origin: native
Native range: eastern North America
Virginia invasive rank: not listed
Maryland invasive status: not listed

Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find: Common in the right habitat Estimate 630 = 54 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 355 needs-ID sightings counted in full (the harvest is the whole genus) + 221 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 2 by count (rule B). Final tier 2.
Effort: Quick kitchen prep Simmer the berries briefly with sugar and strain or mash for a sweetened juice or syrup; raw fruit is so astringent NC State says it may cause choking, and canned jam or jelly is a 3.

Find: what this means

Effort: what this means

Sources

21 sources, each linked to the original.

C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium, effective September 11, 2026 National Park Service, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHPBacks up: picking rules
Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium (2026) National Park Service, Rock Creek ParkBacks up: picking rules
Chokeberries University of Maryland ExtensionBacks up: description
About red chokeberry University of Maryland ExtensionBacks up: description, habitat
Aronia Berries: Old Fruit with a New Name (AnswerLine) Iowa State University Extension and OutreachBacks up: description, uses, keeping
Aronia Berries University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Crops and SoilsBacks up: description, uses, keeping
iNaturalist research-grade observations of Aronia (genus) within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
Berry Jams without Pectin National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
How to Preserve Berries Utah State University ExtensionBacks up: keeping
Dry or Tray Packing for Fruits National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
USDA PLANTS Database: Aronia arbutifolia (ARAR7), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
USDA PLANTS Database: Aronia melanocarpa (ARME6), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
USDA PLANTS Database: Aronia x prunifolia (ARPR2), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: season, description, uses
Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: season, description, uses, habitat
Aronia arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry) Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia / Virginia Cooperative ExtensionBacks up: season, description, uses, habitat