×Sorbaronia mitschurinii ‘Viking’ – Black Chokeberry

Long thought to be a selection of our native Aronia melanocarpa, genetic testing revealed that ‘Viking’ has Mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia) parentage as well. Showy clusters of fragrant, white flowers are followed by ornamental, relatively large black fruits – their juice is very high in anthocyanins and blends well with other juices. The fruits are high in the thickener pectin – add them to other fruits when making preserves; they are sweet and sour – lots of sugar but also low pH. ‘Viking’ was selected in Finland for large fruits and productivity. Self-fertile.