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Plant Profile: Serviceberry


Excerpt from Wikipedia: Amelanchier also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear, 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.


Size: Up to 65 feet tall.

Uses: Pies, jams, and wood for tool handles and fishing rods.

Companions: Other spring flowering trees and shrubs, clethra, hydrangea, lenten rose, rhododendron.

Habitat: Northern hemisphere temperate regions - preferred food source for deer, rabbits, and caterpillars.

Harvest: Late June through July, when two-thirds of the fruit is ripe: purple and soft.

Fun Fact: Native Americans used serviceberry wood for arrow shafts and body armor.

Recipe: Serviceberry maple fruit leather: https://foragerchef.com/serviceberry-maple-leather/

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