Common Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)

Chokecherries are often made into jam and eaten straight. The seeds as well as the bark and leaves contain a cyanide compound that can cause poisoning if too many seeds are eaten with the fruit. Cyanide poisoning initially causes rapid breathing followed by slow and difficult breathing, anxiety, confusion, headache, low blood pressure and rapid heart rate. Extreme poisoning can cause convulsions, coma and death, but this is very rare. This species is common in much of North America. Photo from the Arrow Bridge over the Clearwater River, Idaho.