Amelanchier alnifolia
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SASKATOON SERVICEBERRY
Family: Rosaceae
Pronounced: am-e-LANG-kee-er al-nih-FOE-lee-uh
GROWING GUIDE
Geographic Origin:
Northwest North America.
Plant Group:
Deciduous tree or shrub.
Hardiness:
Sunset: zones: A1-A3, 1-6
USDA zones: 4-9.
Heat zones: 8-3
Mature size:
Height: 12-20 feet (4-6 m).
Width: 12 feet (4 m).
Flowering period:
Late spring.
Flowering attributes:
Compact clusters of flowers bearing 5 white strap-like petals. The flower buds are pure white. Flowers are followed by glabrous, glaucous, red, turning to purple-black fruit.
Leaf attributes:
Broadly oval, 2-inch long, green leaves that turn red and yellow in the fall.
Growth habit:
Suckering shrub.
Light:
Partial shade to full sun.
Soil:
Fertile, acidic, moist, well-drained soil.
Propagation Methods:
Sow seed when ripe and place in cold frame. Seed needs 3-6 months cold stratification at 33-44°F. | Remove suckers in winter. | Semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
Pruning Methods:
This shrub needs minimal pruning. Remove crossing and wayward stems in late winter to early spring after bloom.
Rainy Side Notes
Saskatoon berry, most often called serviceberry, is normally found growing along rocky shorelines, bluffs, meadows and forest edges.The largest one of this species grows in Beacon Rock State Park in Washington, standing 42 feet tall by 43 feet wide. However, the serviceberries growing in lower elevations normally reach up to ten feet high. This suckering shrub is adaptable to the home garden and especially suited for the wildlife friendly garden. The berries are ornamental, beginning as a dusty red turning to purple black when it ripens in August. If you can harvest the fruit before the birds do, the musty-blueberry taste of the berries make great, mouth-watering pies. Every fall the saskatoon leaves turn our hillsides into a kaleidoscope of flaming reds or bright yellow hues.
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For wildlife habitat this is an excellent choice. While the birds eat the berries, bees and butterflies use it as an important nectar source. The small tree is also a host plant for the caterpillars of swallowtails and other butterflies.
Serviceberry is sometimes confused with Amelanchier florida, which is now called A. alnifolia var. semi-intregrifolia and has smaller flowers and rounder leaves.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
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