Everything about Amelanchier totally explained
Amelanchier, also known as
shadbush,
serviceberry,
sarvisberry,
juneberry,
saskatoon,
shadblow,
shadwood,
sugarplum, and
wild-plum, is a
genus of about 20 species of small
deciduous trees and large
shrubs in the family
Rosaceae.
The genus is native to temperate regions of the
Northern Hemisphere, growing primarily in early successional habitats. It is most diverse taxonomically in
North America, especially in the northern
United States and southern
Canada, and is native to every state of the United States except Hawaii. Two species also occur in
Asia, and one in
Europe. These plants are valued horticulturally, and their fruits are important to wildlife. The
systematics (taxonomy) of shadbushes has long perplexed botanists, horticulturalists, and others, as suggested by the range in number of species recognized in the genus from 6 to 33 in two recent publications . A major source of complexity comes from the occurrence of
apomixis (asexual seed production),
polyploidy, and
hybridization.
Amelanchier species grow to 0.2–20 m tall, arborecent or suckering and forming loose colonies or dense clumps to single-stemmed. The
bark is gray or less often brown, smooth or fissuring in older trees. The
leaves are deciduous, cauline, alternate, simple, lanceolate to elliptic to orbiculate, 0.5–10 x 0.5–5.5 cm, thin to coriaceous, with surfaces abaxially glabrous or densely tomentose at flowering, abaxially glabrous or more or less hairy at maturity. The
inflorescences are terminal, with 1–20 flowers, erect or drooping, either in clusters of one to four flowers, or in
racemes with 4–20 flowers. The
flowers have five white (rarely somewhat pink, yellow, or streaked with red), linear to orbiculate petals, 2.6–25 mm long, occasionally andropetalous (bearing apical microsporangia adaxially; only known in this genus in
A. nantucketensis). The flowers appear in early spring, "when the
shad run" according to tradition (leading to names such as "shadbush"). The
fruit is a berry-like pome, red to purple to nearly black at maturity, 5–15 mm diameter, insipid to delectably sweet, maturing in summer. for Asian species the
Flora of China; and for European species the
Flora Europaea.
- Amelanchier alnifolia var. alnifolia - Saskatoon serviceberry, alder-leaved shadbush, saskatoon, saskatoon berry, amélanchier à feuilles d'aulne
- Amelanchier amabilis - Lovely shadbush, amélanchier gracieux
- Amelanchier arborea - Downy shadbush
- Amelanchier asiatica - Asian serviceberry
- Amelanchier bartramiana - Mountain shadbush, amélanchier de Bartram
- Amelanchier canadensis var. canadensis - Eastern shadbush, amélanchier du Canada
- Amelanchier humilis - Low shadbush, amélanchier bas
- Amelanchier interior - Wiegand's shadbush, amélanchier de l'intérieur
- Amelanchier laevis - Smooth shadbush, amélanchier glabre
- Amelanchier lamarckii
- Amelanchier nantucketensis - Nantucket serviceberry
- Amelanchier ovalis - Snowy Mespilus
- Amelanchier sanguinea - Red-twigged shadbush, amélanchier sanguin
- Amelanchier sinica - Chinese Serviceberry
- Amelanchier spicata - Thicket shadbush, amélanchier en épis
- Amelanchier stolonifera - Running Serviceberry
- Amelanchier utahensis - Utah serviceberry
Several natural
hybrids also exist.
Etymology
The origin of the generic name
Amelanchier is probably derived from the Provençal name of the European
Amelanchier ovalis. The name serviceberry comes from the similarity of the fruit to the related European
Sorbus. A widespread
folk etymology states that the 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. Juneberry refers to the fruits of certain species becoming ripe in June. The name Saskatoon originated from a
Cree Native American noun
misâskwatômina (
misāskwatōmina,
misaaskwatoomina) for
Amelanchier alnifolia. The city of
Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan is named after this plant.
Ecology
Amelanchier are preferred browse for deer and rabbits, and heavy browsing pressure can suppress natural regeneration.
Caterpillars of
Lepidoptera such as
Brimstone Moth,
Brown-tail,
Grey Dagger,
Mottled Umber,
Rough Prominent,
The Satellite,
Winter Moth,
Limenitis arthemis and other herbivorous insects also have a taste for serviceberry. Many 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.
Uses and cultivation
The fruit of several species are excellent to eat raw, tasting like a slightly nutty blueberry, though their popularity with
birds makes harvesting difficult. Fruit is harvested locally for
pies and
jams. The
saskatoon berry is harvested commercially. The Native American food
pemmican was flavored by shadbush fruits in combination with fat and dried meats, and the stems were made into arrow shafts.
Several species are very popular
ornamental shrubs, grown for their flowers, bark, and fall color. All need similar conditions to grow well, requiring good drainage, air circulation (to discourage leaf diseases), watering during drought and acceptable
soil. 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.
The
wood 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.
Propagation is by seed, divisions and grafting. Serviceberries graft so readily that grafts with other genera, such as
Crataegus and
Sorbus, are often successful.
George Washington planted specimens on the grounds of
Mount Vernon.
A taxon commonly cited as
Amelanchier lamarckii F.G.Schroed. is very widely cultivated and
naturalized in Europe, where it was introduced in the 17th century; it's known to be of North American origin, probably from eastern Canada. It isn't currently known to occur in the wild, and is probably of hybrid origin between
A. laevis and either
A. arborea or
A. canadensis; it's apomictic and breeds true from seed.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Amelanchier'.
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