Aronia melanocarpa, 'Viking'

Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking' Variety description: A fruit for the future! Aronia offers a beautiful spring display of blossoms, attractive dark green summer foliage and very nutritious berries which ripen in late summer.  The blueberry-sized black fruits of Aronia melanocarpa have the highest known levels of antioxidants (anthocyanins and flavonoids) of any temperate fruit, five times higher than cranberry and blueberry, and also contain strong anticancer compounds. Aronia has been widely grown in Eastern Europe and Russia where the fruits are processed and used in beverages, wine, jelly, and baked goods. Aronia are too astringent for fresh eating. To learn more about this intriguing fruit, see this article by the University of Connecticut's Prof. Mark Brand.  The cultivars 'Viking' and 'Nero' were both imported into the US from eastern Europe, where they are widely cultivated. Both of these cultivars originated in Russia in the late 19th or early 20th century, from the breeding work of