Chokecherry reproduces sexually and vegetatively. Seeds are surrounded by a stony endocarp that may offer some resistance to germination but is permeable to moisture. Removal of fruit pulp was critical for germination, but they found no differences in germination success between seeds manually cleaned of pulp and bird-passed seeds lacking pulp. Seeds of chokecherry that were defecated and planted with feces, mimicking natural deposition, had reduced germination relative to manually cleaned seeds. Artificial seed treatments to enhance germination are discussed in the Value and Use section of this report.
Viable seed persists in the soil seedbank.
In the western United States, chokecherry grows at low to mid-elevations in positions in the landscape where combinations of soil and topography permit greater than average accumulation of moisture. Soils supporting chokecherry are variable, ranging from Entisols to Mollisols, and soil texture ranges from silt to sandy loam. Chokecherry grows in very acid to moderately alkaline soils. Plant association descriptions for most the studies discussed below appear in the Distribution and Occurrence section of this species report. In the eastern and central region of the U.S. and Canada, chokecherry occurs in a broad range of successional habitats.