Reproduction by seed. Requires 16-20 inches of moisture. The trunks are covered with dark red, shiny bark and are circled with raised lenticular ridges. Leaves are glossy deep green above and lighter below, the edges are finely saw-toothed. Leaves alternate and deciduous.
Flowers are white in long dense clusters.
Fruit is dark purple, round and tart. Chokecherries are frequently attacked by a fungus, Plowrightia stansburiana, which causes the so-called black knot disease. Afflicted stems develop crusty, black knot-like cankers that cause the death of each stem above the canker. Requires 15 to 18 inches of moisture. Rhus trilobata Perennial, native shrub, grows 2 to 7 feet tall.