View photos of the edible and medicinal plant Prunus virginiana var. demissa (Western Chokecherry), profiled in Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States and Wild Edible Series: Southern California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

A passage from Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States:

The plant’s particular cyanogenic glycoside content, a compound group common to many plants within the Rose family, is at least partly responsible for its sedative activity on the pneumal and cardiovascular systems. Even for straight–forward heart palpitations dependent on debility, psychosomatic responses to stress, or overexertion, Wild cherry is calming.

A passage from Southern California Food Plants:

Chokecherry is a fairly common large shrub/small tree found mainly in mid to upper mountain regions throughout southern California. Both the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges host Chokecherry.

A passage from Wild Edible Plants of New Mexico:

Chokecherries are edible fresh picked from the tree or prepared as a jam/jelly. When fully ripe (black) they are sweet and have a very pleasant wild cherry (hint of bitter) flavor. Naturally, the pits (seeds) should first be spit out before the fruit is eaten (or removed if processing for other preparations).