Seasonal trends in the nutritive content of chokecherry leaves and stems in the Black Hills of South Dakota are presented below. Chokecherry plants are widely used as ornamentals. Chokecherry produces an abundance of attractive white flowers characterized by a strong, sweet, almondlike fragrance. This species is also valued for its fruit. Plantings increase habitat and natural food supplies for birds frequenting residential areas.
Chokecherries are edible and, although somewhat astringent, are relatively sweet when fully ripe.
Fruits are used to make wines, syrups, jellies, and jams. Hydrogen cyanide is liberated either in the plant as a result of frost damage or in the animal during digestion. Chokecherry is susceptible to attack by the fungus Plowrightia stansburiana , which causes knotlike cankers to develop on stems.