Red Chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia

Also listed as Photinia pyrifolia

Found in bogs, pocosins, wet savannas, swamps, other wet habitats, also in this soils over rock with seasonal or sporadic seepage. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 6–12 feet
Spread: 3–5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Moist to standing water

Space about 4 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 6 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Aronia arbutifolia — bloom photograph — Austin Pursley · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: February to May
Fruiting season: September to November

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Recorded in 52 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Pocosins and bay forests

Dense evergreen shrub wetlands and bay forests on wet, acid peat of the Coastal Plain.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

39CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Sorbus

Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
Acronicta clarescensClear Dagger
Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
Catocala gryneaWoody Underwing
Cenopis pettitanaMaple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
Choristoneura conflictanaLarge Aspen Tortrix

Show all 39

Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
Hedya chionosemaTwin-Spotted Budworm, White-Spotted Hedya
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
Lomographa vestaliataWhite Spring Moth
Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
Metaxaglaea semitariaFootpath Sallow
Metaxaglaea viaticaRoadside Sallow
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
Podosesia syringaeLilac Borer Moth, Ash Borer
Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
Synanthedon pictipesLesser Peachtree Borer Moth
Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
Venusia comptariaBrown-Shaded Carpet
Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

14BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Aronia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Aronia

Andrena melanochroa

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

6BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sorbus

Catharus fuscescensVeery
Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Rosaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Pink or white
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads to form colonies
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: September
Fruit ends: November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late February to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Spreads to form colonies” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “6–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Spread · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Photinia pyrifolia; Sorbus arbutifolia var. arbutifolia; mountain ash; mountain-ash

Conservation status

Florida rank	S4S5
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Suckers and forms colonies. Tends to sucker and form colonies; remove root suckers to limit spread. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Red Chokeberry

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Aronia