Quercus

Black Chokeberry

Aronia melanocarpa

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

62CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Sorbus

  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta clarescensClear Dagger
  • Acronicta fragilisFragile Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta innotataUnmarked Dagger
  • Acronicta interruptaInterrupted Dagger
  • Acronicta radcliffeiRadcliffe's Dagger
  • Acronicta superansSplendid Dagger, Chieftain Dagger
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
Show all 62
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Catocala gryneaWoody Underwing
  • Cenopis pettitanaMaple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
  • Choristoneura conflictanaLarge Aspen Tortrix
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Eulia ministranaFerruginous Eulia
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eupsilia tristigmataThree-Spotted Sallow, Brown Fruitworm
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Hedya chionosemaTwin-Spotted Budworm, White-Spotted Hedya
  • Hedya nr.Large Bud Moth, Green Bud Moth, Off-White Hedya
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
  • Lithophane innominataNameless Pinion
  • Lomographa semiclarataBluish Spring Moth, Wildcherry Looper
  • Lomographa vestaliataWhite Spring Moth
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Lyonetia prunifoliellaStriped Bent-wing
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier 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
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Paraclemensia acerifoliellaMaple Leafcutter, Maple Case-Bearer
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phyllonorycter crataegellaApple Leaf Miner, Apple Blotch Leafminer, Apple Leafblotch Miner
  • Podosesia syringaeLilac Borer Moth, Ash Borer
  • Pseudothyatira cymatophoroidesTufted Thyatirid
  • Rhopobota naevanaBlackheaded Fireworm, Holly Bud Moth, Holly Tortrix
  • Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
  • Synanthedon pictipesLesser Peachtree Borer Moth
  • Synanthedon pyriApple Bark Borer, Pear Borer
  • 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)

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rosaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3–8
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
White
Growth habit
Forms thickets
Foliage color
Red
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Black Chokeberry; Sorbus melanocarpa; mountain ash; mountain-ash

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS4S5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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