These are BARE ROOTED plants which can be planted from the end of October until May and will be dispatched as soon as the weather turns cold and they become dormant.The dispatch date depends on the Autumn temperature and varies from year to year. The aronia is a 'superfood', richer in antioxidants than raspberries and more modern imports such as the goji and acai.It even has three times the level of antioxidants found in blueberries. The plant is native to North America, where early settlers gave it the name 'chokeberry' because it is so sharp when eaten raw. American Indians believed it was a good aphrodisiac. Growing Details Common Name: Black Chokeberry Genus: Aronia Species: Melanocarpa Skill Level: Beginner Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade Hardiness: Hardy Soil type: Well-drained/light, Moist Height: 1 - 3m Spread: 600 cm Description The leaves are alternate, simple, and oblanceolate with crenate margins and pinnate venation; in autumn the leaves turn a bold red color. Dark trichomes are present on the upper midrib surface. The flowers are small, with 5 petals and 5 sepals, and produced in corymbs of 10-25 together. Hypanthium is urn-shaped. The fruit is a small pome, with a very astringent, bitter flavour. The plant normally exceeds 1 m tall, rarely 3 m, and spreads readily by root sprouts. The leaves are small, not more than 6 cm long, with terminal glands on leaf teeth and a glabrous underside.Flowers are white, 1.5 cm diameter, with glabrous sepals. The fruit is black, 6-9 mm diameter, not persisting into winter.