Aronia Berry vs Royalty Raspberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Rubus x Royalty
Aronia Berry produces black fruit that is often considered too astringent. This is why they are also referred to as Black Chokeberry. It is native to Eastern Canada and the Eastern United States. White to pink flowers appear in the spring which provides a nice contrast to the dark green foliage. In fall the leaves turn a vibrant orange to red.
It has a fast growth rate, strong roots, and can tolerate growing in wet soils. This makes it well suited for various projects including forming hedges, bank stabilization, erosion control, and in wetter riparian areas. They are also well suited as an understory plant as it grows well under other trees.
Aronia berries have their own unique flavour. The polyphenols and anthocyanins are touted as healthy antioxidants and lots of research seems to be underway on the health benefits of this fruit.
Royalty Raspberry is a productive and delicious red-purple raspberry. It is a cross between a red raspberry and a black raspberry. Ripening in late August, the berries are ideal for homemade jams, preserves, and fresh eating.
If you are going for more of a classic red raspberry taste, pick the berries early. But if they are left on the cane until they are purple the taste will be sweeter.
Royalty Raspberry is a floricane variety, meaning that it only produces berries on second-year canes. Do not cut this variety to the ground and only prune away dead canes as needed.
This very popular extra large berried variety was developed at Cornell University.