Chokecherry

The Chokecherry tree is one of the best sources of food for birds and small mammals.  The berries are very sour. 

The Chokecherry is a suckering tree that, in several varieties, covers an immense natural range that includes almost every Canadian province and most states. (Wikipedia, n.d.)  It is native to eastern and central North America, where it is often regarded almost as a weed, the seeds being spread abundantly by birds.  

It commonly grows on the edge of woodlands and thickets, along streams, and in clearings.  It prefers rich, moist well-drained soil and will not tolerate flooding. It will grow under light shading but best fruit production occurs in full sun.  (Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island, 2019)  It is an understory species with remarkable shade tolerance for a cherry, and it tends to form clumps of upright stems.

Chokecherries have been a source of food in soups, stews, pemmican, salmon dishes.  Traditionally, the cherries are collected in the fall and dried, often with the stones left in. (Parish and Thomson, p. 142.)

Chokecherries today are used most commonly in concentrates, jellies, syrups, sauces, juices, jams, and wine.

The bark and roots of the chokecherry were used for their medicinal properties in treating a variety of maladies.

A tonic from the bark was used for regaining strength after childbirth. (Manitoba Ministry of Agriculture and Resource Development, n.d.)  Bark tea also loosens phlegm so it has been used to clear the throats of singers and speakers (Cree Elder, East-central Alberta region, published in Marles et al., p. 237).

The bark has been used for wounds.  The dried berries have been used for the appetite, and also for diarrhea or when the poop contains blood (Foster & Duke, p. 380).  The root may also be an ingredient for a treatment for diarrhea in children (Cree Elder, James Smith 100 Reserve, published in Marles et al, p. 237).

Choke cherry wood is used for handles and shredded bark for decorating basket rims. (Parish & Thomson, n.d.)