Serviceberry or Juneberry

(Rosaceae - Rose Family)

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• Form
  • small to medium-sized ornamental tree (single or multi-trunked) or small to large ornamental shrub, encompassing several species and hybrids that are difficult to distinguish among
  • size ranges from 6' to 30' tall and 4' to 10' wide among the various forms; the average cultivar matures at about 12' tall by 10' wide under urban conditions
  • upright oval to upright clump growth habit
  • slow to medium growth rate

• Culture
  • full sun to full shade
  • prefers moist, well-drained, rich, organic, acidic soils in partial sun, but will tolerate a wide range of cultural conditions, including soils of various pH, soils of average to relatively poor fertility, sun or shade, and drought; however, it will not tolerate poorly-drained soils or wet sites
  • propagated primarily by seeds or rooted stem cuttings
  • Rose Family, with no serious disease or pest problems for this genus, although powdery mildew on the foliage is an occasional minor cosmetic problem
  • abundantly to commonly available for the predominant species, hybrids, and cultivars, usually in ball and burlap or container form, and moderately to rarely available for the less common species, hybrids, and cultivars; in some cases, plants will sell out during mid-season due to high demand

• Foliage
  • alternate, emerging pubescent gray-green and becoming glabrous medium green, elliptical to oval, and finely serrated
  • all but the largest Serviceberries cast a dappled light shade
  • fall color ranges from yellow to orange to red in October, and is often spectacular among the cultivated forms

• Flowers
  • as flower bud scales abscise, the swollen flower buds emerge very pubescent, silver-green, and ornamentally effective for two to three weeks before the inflorescences fully open
  • 3" vertical to pendulous inflorescences have white flowers that are very showy and effective from one day to one week in mid-April, before the petals quickly drop as rain falls or the foliage emerges
  • one of the first shrubs or small trees to have showy flowering in Spring

• Fruits
  • round fruits in pendulous clusters exhibit a color transition from green to yellow to red to blue to purple to black, with many colors often being on the same fruit cluster as it ripens
  • variable in size depending upon the species, but generally about 1/4" to 3/8" diameter each
  • ripening in June (hence the common name of Juneberry) and attracting birds and squirrels, which devour the fruits before they are completely ripe (and therefore the darker-colored mature fruits are rarely seen)

• Twigs
  • brown-red twigs often zig-zag, especially in the slower-growing sections of the shrub or tree
  • lateral and terminal buds are of nearly equal size, and the pointed buds are conical, tan, and opening with silky hairs in March or April
  • branches are a smooth light-gray to tan and may have dark longitudinal striations, especially on the species (non-hybrid and non-cultivar) forms

• Trunk
  • usually multistemmed or multitrunked, but single-trunked forms are becoming increasingly available for specimen tree or street tree usage
  • light gray to tan, smooth, and with some forms darkly striated

• ID Summary
  • floral buds emerge in early Spring as gray-silver pubescent inflorescences that open to white ephemeral flowers, very showy for up to a week, but abscising rapidly and replaced quickly by the small, elliptical foliage that casts a light shade
  • fruits occur in pendulous clusters in early Summer, and are quickly eaten by wildlife when they are red in color, rather than waiting for them to mature to a dark purple, blue, or black
  • smooth gray bark is lightly to heavily striated at maturity, on small trees or large shrubs that are usually multitrunked and limbed-up with age, below a densely twiggy crown at maturity

• Function
  • specimen, focal point, foundation, entranceway, edge of the border, naturalization, or wildlife attraction tree or shrub, or street tree if single-trunked

• Texture
  • fine texture in foliage and when bare
  • open to average density in foliage, but average to thick density when bare (especially on mature plants)

• Assets
  • excellent four-season ornamental tree (Spring flowers, Summer fruits, dappled shade foliage, and fine texture, Autumn foliage color, and Winter bark, buds, and texture)
  • adaptable to a wide range of soil and light conditions
  • low mature height as a tree

• Liabilities
  • slow growth

• Habitat
  • as a general rule, zones 4 to 8 for the genus, but some species are cold tolerant to zone 2 and other species are warm adaptable to zone 9
  • the various species are native to various regions of the United States and Canada

• Alternates
  • large shrubs or small trees with multi-season appeal (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King', Malus, Stewartia ovata, Viburnum sieboldii, etc.)
  • large ornamental shrubs or small ornamental trees good for foundation areas (Acer palmatum, Cornus florida, Hamamelis x intermedia, Hydrangea macrophylla, Magnolia hybrids, Prunus x 'Snowfountains', etc.)

• Variants
  • Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon Serviceberry) - large abundant maroon fruits up to 0.5" in diameter, 15' tall by 10' wide clump former
  • Amelanchier arborea (Downy Serviceberry) and Amelanchier canadensis (Shadblow Serviceberry) - the standard clump species, 15' tall by 10' wide; 'Tradition' has a single trunk for a 25' tall by 15' wide stately specimen or street tree
  • Amelanchier x grandiflora (Apple Serviceberry) - hybrid of Downy and Allegheny Serviceberries, with 'Autumn Brilliance' having profuse flowering and brilliant red fall foliage, 20' tall by 15' wide clump former
  • Amelanchier laevis (Allegheny Serviceberry) - tallest multi-trunked and most prominently striated of the Serviceberries, 30' tall by 15' wide; 'Lamarckii' is a cultivar or hybrid of this species that is somewhat smaller
  • Amelanchier stolonifera (Running Serviceberry) - a thick 6' tall by 4' wide clump of many upright stems, useful as a specimen shrub, nonthorny barrier hedge, or along wet sites

• Translation
  • Amelanchier is the French name for a different European tree.

• Purpose
  • Serviceberry is one of the best four-season multistemmed shrubs or single- to multi-trunked small- to medium-sized trees, with many species and cultivars to choose from, primarily for variation in mature size, flowering density, and fall color.

• Summary
  • Amelanchier is a four-season plant of great ornamental value for Spring flowers, Summer fruits and foliage, Autumn foliage color, Winter character, and overall fine texture.