Serviceberry

? Serviceberry
Amelanchier lamarckii in flower
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Maloideae Genus: Amelanchier Medik.
Species
About 25; see text

The Serviceberry (Amelanchier), also known as juneberry, mespilus, sarvis, shad-blossom and shadbush, is a genus of about 25 species of small deciduous trees and large shrubs in the family Rosaceae. In some areas an Amelanchier species is known as the currant-tree, but it is unrelated to currants (of genus Ribes). The genus has a wide distribution in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the majority of the species in North America and single species in Europe and Asia.

The name serviceberry comes from the similarity of the fruit to the related European Service Tree, Sorbus domestica, a name that in turn is derived via the French sorbier from the Latin name for the tree sorbus, recorded by Pliny the Elder. A widespread folk etymology states that plant's flowering time signaled to early American pioneers that the ground had thawed enough in spring for the burial of the winter's dead. The name Amelanchier is derived from the French name amelanche of the European serviceberry. The city name of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan comes from a Cree Indian name misaaskwatoomin for the juneberry.

The leaves are alternate, entire or finely serrate, oval, 2-10 cm long and 1-4 cm broad, green, often turning brilliant orange or red in the fall. The flowers are white, 2-4 cm diameter, with five petals, and borne in terminal racemes of 5-25. The flowers appear in early spring, "when the shad run" according to tradition (leading to names such as "shadbush"). The fruit is a small pome, 1-2 cm diameter, blue-black, edible and often sweet, maturing in summer (whence the name 'juneberry').

Serviceberries are preferred browse for deer and rabbits, and heavy browsing pressure can suppress natural regeneration. Brimstone Moth, Brown-tail, Bucculatrix pomifoliella, Grey Dagger, Gypsy moth, Mottled Umber, The Satellite, Winter Moth and other defoliating insects also have a taste for serviceberry. The same insects and diseases that attack orchard trees also affect this genus, in particular trunk borers and Gymnosporangium rust. In years when late flowers overlap those of wild roses and brambles, bees may spread bacterial fireblight.

Selected species

• Amelanchier alnifolia - Juneberry, Saskatoon Serviceberry, Pacific serviceberry, pigeonberry, rocky mountain servicetree, sarvice, sarviceberry, saskatoon, western serviceberry, western shadbush
• Amelanchier arborea - Downy Serviceberry, Allegheny serviceberry, apple shadbush, northern smooth shadbush, shadblow, shadbush serviceberry
• Amelanchier asiatica - Asian Serviceberry
• Amelanchier bartramiana - Bartram serviceberry
• Amelanchier basalticola
• Amelanchier canadensis - Thicket Serviceberry, American lancewood, currant-tree, downy serviceberry, Indian cherry, Indian wild pear, juice plum, juiceberry, may cherry, sarvice, servicetree, shadblow, shadbush
• Amelanchier confusa
• Amelanchier florida - Pacific serviceberry
• Amelanchier humilis
• Amelanchier interior - inland serviceberry
• Amelanchier laevis - Allegheny Serviceberry, Smooth Serviceberry
• Amelanchier lamarckii - Snowy Mespilus, June Berry (syn. A. grandiflora)
• Amelanchier ovalis - European Serviceberry, Snowy Mespilus
• Amelanchier sanguinea - Huron serviceberry, roundleaf juneberry, roundleaf serviceberry, shore shadbush
• Amelanchier spicata
• Amelanchier stolonifera - Running Shadbush
• Amelanchier utahensis - Utah Serviceberry

Note that species names are often used interchangeably in the nursery trade. Many A. arborea plants that are offered for sale are actually hybrids, or entirely different species.

Uses and cultivation

The Native American food pemmican was flavored by serviceberry fruits in combination with fat and dried meats, and the stems were made into arrow shafts.

The fruit of several species are excellent to eat raw, tasting like a slightly nutty blueberry, though their popularity with birds makes harvesting difficult. Fruits of other species may be dry and tasteless. Fruit is harvested locally for pies and jams. Serviceberries are also very popular ornamental shrubs, grown for their flowers, bark, and fall color. All serviceberries need similar conditions to grow well, requiring good drainage, air circulation (to discourage leaf diseases), watering during drought and acceptable soil.

The wood of Amelanchier species is brown, hard, close-grained, and heavy. The heartwood is reddish-brown, and the sapwood is lighter in color. It can be used for tool handles and fishing rods.

The serviceberry was brought to England in the 18th century, and grown as an exotic plant by the Duke of Argyll. George Washington planted it on the grounds of Mount Vernon.

Propagation is by seed, divisions and grafting. Serviceberries graft so readily that grafts with other genera, such as Crataegus and Sorbus, are often successful.

External links

• Amelanchier ssp. at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Plant profile: Amelanchier arborea Newsletter of the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society 23 (6): 3-4 Nov/Dec 2005. Retrieved on December 30 2005.
• Amelanchier arborea at hort.net
• Serviceberry in the Hiker's Notebook by William Needham. Retrieved on December 30 2005.
• Donald Culross Peattie, A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1964.
• Michael A. Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Fifth ed. Champaign, Ill: Stipes Publishing LLC.