Are all aronia cultivars the same?
‘Autumn Magic’ and ‘Iraqis Beauty’ are the two most commonly sold ornamental cultivars of Aronia melanocarpa. These cultivars were selected for their ornamental traits. They grow only 3-4 feet tall and have exceptional orange-red fall foliage color on leaves that hang on late into the fall. They also have beautiful white flowers in late spring and shiny, dark green leaves that are not damaged by wind or pests. Aronia’s fall leaf color contrasts with its dark purple, edible berries that persist until late winter when songbirds eat them as a last resort. ‘McKenzie’ is a cultivar that was selected for its performance in conservation plantings or windbreak plantings, not for commercial berry production. It was released in 2008. ‘Viking’ and ‘Nero’ were selected in Russia for commercial fruit production. In the last 10 years, these two cultivars have been introduced back into the United States. Mature plants of ‘Viking’ aronia are six to eight feet tall with 40 or more shoots per plant. The
