Serviceberry
Amelanchier Ainifolia
| General: Deciduous shrub or small tree, erect to spreading, 1-5 m tall; branches smooth, dark grey when mature, often spreads to form thickets. Leaves: Alternate, oval to nearly round, 2-5 cm long, rounded at tip,coarsly toothed on upper half, green (often with a whitish bloom) in Summer, yellowish-orange to reddish-brown in Autumn. |
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Serviceberries drying in the Fall |
Flowers:
White, star-shaped, about 2 cm across, with five slender petals, 3-20 in short, leafy clusters (racements) near branch tips; April to July.
Fruits:
Berry-like pomes (like tiny apples), purple to black with a whitish bloom (dull red at first), juicy, 6-12 mm across.
Where Found:
Open woods, banks, and hillsides: plains to montane; Alaska to Colorado.
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Fun Facts: These sweet fruits were one of the most important berries for Native peoples. They were eaten fresh, dried, or mashed, and dried in cakes. Lewis and Clark reported that these "cakes" could weigh as much as 7 kg. Dried fruits were often mixed with meat and fat or added to soups and stews. Today, they are used in pies, pancakes, puddings, muffins, jams, jellies, syrups, and wine, much like blueberries |
Serviceberry branch |
The hard, strong, straight branches were a favorite material for making arrows and spears, and they were also used for canes, canoes (cross-pieces), basket rims, tipi stakes, and tipi closure pins. Saskatoons make excellent ornamental shrubs. They are hardy and easily propagated, and have beautifu, white blossoms in spring plus delicious fruit and scarlet leaves in Autumn. Deer, elk and moose browse on these shrubs; bears, chipmunks, squirrels, and many birds feast on the seedy fruits. Other common names include "Juneberry" and "Shadbush".
Excerpt taken from Plants of the Rocky Mountains by Kershaw, MacKinnon, and Pojar; A Lone Pine Field Guide
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