serviceberry

''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plumCampbell, C. S., Dibble, A. C., Frye, C. T., & Burgess, M. B. (2015). ''Amelanchier''. In FNA Editorial Committee, ''Flora of North America'' 9. Magnoliophyta: Rosidae (in part): Rosales (in part). Oxford University Press, New York.
/ref> or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants

/ref> is a genus of about 20 species of deciduous-leaved shrubs and small trees in the rose family (Rosaceae).

''Amelanchier'' 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 northeastern United States and adjacent southeastern Canada, and at least one species is native to every U.S. state except Hawaii and to every Canadian province and territory. Two species also occur in Asia, and one in Europe.

The taxonomic classification 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 hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis (asexual seed production), making species difficult to characterize and identify.University of Maine
''Amelanchier'' Systematics and Evolution
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A pome fruit, the berries are commonly consumed by wildlife and picked by humans for uses in baked goods. The Canadian city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after the berry via a Cree term describing the sweet fruit which was wild-harvested for food by Aboriginal people and early settlers of western Canada.

Description

The various species of ''Amelanchier'' grow to tall; some are small trees, some are multistemmed, clump-forming shrubs, and yet others form extensive low shrubby patches ( clones). The bark is gray or less often brown, and in tree species smooth or fissuring when older. 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 above glabrous or densely tomentose at flowering, and glabrous or more or less hairy beneath 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, with the petals in one species (''A. nantucketensis'') often andropetalous (bearing apical microsporangia adaxially). The flowers appear in early spring, "when the shad run" according to North-American 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.

''Amelanchier'' plants are valued horticulturally, and their fruits are important to wildlife. Some orchards are cultivated in the Canadian prairie provinces which are subjected to severe winter cold of , indicating the hardiness of the plant having a lifespan up to 50 years.

Species

Species accepted by the Plants of the World Online as of :

Natural hybrids

* '' Amelanchier × lamarckii'' ( A. arborea × A. laevis.)– Juneberry
* '' Amelanchier × neglecta'' (A. bartramiana × A. laevis.)
* '' Amelanchier × quinti-martii'' (A. arborea × A. bartramiana. )
* '' Amelanchier × spicata'' (A. alnifolia × A. humilis.) - low juneberry

Garden hybrids

Since classifications have varied greatly over the past century, species names are often used interchangeably in the nursery trade. Several natural or horticultural hybrids also exist, and many ''A. arborea'' and ''A. canadensis'' plants that are offered for sale are actually hybrids, or entirely different species. ''A''. × ''grandiflora'' is another hybrid of garden origin, between ''A. arborea'' and ''A. laevis''. The cultivar 'La Paloma' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

A taxon called '' Amelanchier lamarckii'' (or ''A.'' x ''lamarckii'') is very widely cultivated and naturalized in Europe, where it was introduced in the 17th century. It is apomictic, breeding true from seed, and probably of hybrid origin, perhaps descending from a cross between ''A. laevis'' and either ''A. arborea'' or ''A. canadensis''. While ''A. lamarckii'' is known to be of North American origin, probably from eastern Canada, it is not known to occur naturally in the wild in North America.Bean, W. J. (1976). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' 8th ed., vol. 1. John Murray .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .

Etymology

The origin of the generic name ''Amelanchier'' is probably derived from ''amalenquièr'', ''amelanchièr'', the Provençal names of the European '' Amelanchier ovalis''.Jepson Flora
''Amelanchier alnifolia''
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The name ''serviceberry'' comes from the similarity of the fruit to the related European ''Sorbus''. Juneberry refers to the fruits of certain species becoming ripe in June. The name saskatoon originated from a Cree noun ''misâskwatômina'' (''misāskwatōmina'', ''misaaskwatoomina'') for ''Amelanchier alnifolia''. The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is named after this plant.

Shadberry refers to the shad runs in certain New England streams, which generally took place about when the trees bloomed.

Ecology

''Amelanchier'' plants are preferred browse for deer and rabbits, and heavy browsing pressure can suppress natural regeneration. Caterpillars of such Lepidoptera as the brimstone moth, brown-tail, grey dagger, mottled umber, rough prominent, satellite, winter moth, red-spotted purple and white admiral (both ''Limenitis arthemis''), as well as various other herbivorous insects feed on ''Amelanchier.'' Many insects and diseases that attack orchard trees also affect this genus, in particular trunk borers and '' Gymnosporangium'' rust. In years when late flowers of ''Amelanchier'' overlap those of wild roses and brambles, bees may spread bacterial fireblight.

Uses and cultivation

The fruit of several species is safe to eat raw, possessing a mild sweetness strongly accented by the almond-like flavour of the seeds. Selections from ''Amelanchier alnifolia'' have been chosen for fruit production, with several named cultivars. Other cultivars appear to be derived from hybridization between ''A. alnifolia'' and '' A. stolonifera''. Propagation is by seed, divisions, and grafting. Serviceberries graft so readily that grafts onto other genera, such as ''Crataegus'' and ''Sorbus'', are often successful.

The fruit can be harvested for pies, muffins, jams, and wine. The saskatoon berry is harvested commercially. One version of the Native American food pemmican was flavored by serviceberry fruits in combination with minced dried meat and fat.

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. Native Americans used it for arrow shafts. Members of the Pit River Tribe would use the wood to create a sort of body armor, crafting it into a heavy robe or overcoat and corset armor worn during fighting.Merriam, C. Hart 1966 Ethnographic Notes on California Indian Tribes. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley (p. 222)

Garden history

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 soil appropriate for the species.

George Washington planted specimens of ''Amelanchier'' on the grounds of his estate, Mount Vernon, in Virginia.

References

External links

''Juneberry''
in What Am I Eating? A Food Dictionary

{{Authority control

Rosaceae genera
Plants used in Native American cuisine
Fruit trees