Nanking Cherry vs Robert Chokecherry - TreeTime.ca

Nanking Cherry vs Robert Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana Robert

Prunus tomentosa

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Robert Chokecherry
Nanking Cherry

Developed in Barrhead, Alberta, the Robert Chokecherry produces very large berries (comparable to the size of grapes) with good yield.

The berries can be used for wine, jams, jellies and fresh picking, making it one of the sweeter chokecherries. Rich, red foliage make it a striking landscape addition.

Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.

Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.

Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.

Robert Chokecherry Quick Facts

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: Toxic to animals with segmented stomachs (horses, cattle, deer moose, etc.)

Foliage: red leaves
Flowers: white, early spring
Fruit: large, black, grape sized
Fruit: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry