Common Serviceberry

Common Serviceberry

(Amelanchier arborea [Michx. f.] Fernald)

Description  

The common serviceberry belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae)¹.  It can grow to be up to 40 feet tall (12 meters) but can occasionally reach heights as tall as 66 feet (20 meters)¹. The trunk of the common serviceberry is typically around 6-16 inches (15-40 cm) in diameter¹. The bark is smooth and gray, and the buds of the common serviceberry are slender with a pointed tip, usually with more than two scales visible¹. The leaves are oval-shaped, about 1 ½ – 3 ¼ inches (4-8 cm) long and 1-2 inches (2.5–4 cm) wide, with pointed tips and finely serrated edges¹. The leaves of the common serviceberry can present in a few different colors, including orange-yellow, pink, or red¹. The common serviceberry has flowers that are up to 1 inch (15–25 mm) in diameter, with 5 white petals that emerge in early spring. These flowers are produced in multiples of 4-10 on pendulous racemes¹ .  In the northern part of its range, the common serviceberry flowers at the same time its leaves emerge in April and May².  Fruits are produced in June and July².  In southern parts of its range, the common serviceberry flowers in March and produces fruit from June through August². The fruit which grows on the common serviceberry is a reddish-purple pome, resembling a small apple in shape².

A cluster of white, five-petaled flowers grow perpendicularly on a dark brown, slender tree branch that runs horizontally across the image from left to right, terminating in an emerging bud. The background is a blurry and out-of-focus image of white and green vegetation. The inflorescence is a raceme with alternating flowers growing from a central stalk, each flower has green sepals and very slight, yellow stamen. A few immature tannish-green leaves grow from the node where the inflorescence meets the tree branch.

Common serviceberry in flower.  @G. Rembert, 2005. CalPhotos13

 

A slender, light-brown branch extends vertically in the right-most third of the image, with two perpendicularly arranged sub-branches, one that extends to the left into the center of the images and the second extends to the right and culminates in a few elliptical green leaves. The branch that extends to the left has a couple of pinnately veined green leaves attached, but also has small, round fruits with remnants of small leafy sepals attached at the ends of each fruit. One fruit is a bright pink color, the other fruits varying in color from slightly blue to an immature green color. Blurry and out-of-focus white background adds contrast to the leafy subject.

Common serviceberry leaves and fruit. @ B. Harms, 2012.  Maryland Plant Atlas12.

Distribution  

The common serviceberry is distributed from the southern tip of Newfoundland, Canada,  to the northern tip of the Florida Panhandle, and west toward southern Ontario and Quebec, eastern Kansas, the eastern edge of Nebraska, and southern Mississippi and Alabama².   North of Virginia, it is found along the Atlantic coast, but grows inland in regions south of Virginia².   In total, the common serviceberry is native to 40 states and provinces across North America².   This species grows well in acidic, moist and well-drained soils but can grow in a variety of habitats, including swampy lowlands, dry woods, sandy bluffs, rocky ridges, forest edges, and open woodlands and fields 3,4.   Common serviceberry can be found to grow  throughout Maryland12.  Historically, the bloom of the serviceberry’s white flowers along the water’s edges signaled the beginning of fishing season for Atlantic shad fish7.

A gray map of much of eastern North America, with the various eastern states delineated but no such delineation for the Canadian provinces. Laid on top is a bright green green color designating the native range of the common serviceberry. This range extends from Nova Scotia and parts of New Brunswick in the northeast, to eastern Minnesota in the northwest, northwestern Arkansas in the southwest, skipping over the area surrounding the southern Mississippi River and continuing through eastern Mississippi state, all of Alabama, the westernmost part of the Florida panhandle, and Georgia in the south, but skips the Georgia and Carolina Atlantic coasts.

 Distribution of common serviceberry.  Wickimedia Commons 9.

 Wildlife Importance 

The consumption of the common serviceberry fruit is very popular with over 40 bird species, including the Eastern Bluebird and the Baltimore Oriole, and with several mammals such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, and foxes4,6.  Some larger mammals, like moose, elk, and black bears will eat the leaves and twigs of this tree species7.  In the spring, the common serviceberry blossoms entice beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies, which provide the pollination services7.  Since the common serviceberry are early bloomers, they are a very important source of food for many insects emerging from a chilly winter7.  Some bird species, such as robins and cardinals, are known to nest in its branches7.  Additionally, serviceberries are integral plants for the nesting of certain butterfly larvae, like tiger, viceroy, and admiral butterflies7. 

Economic Importance  

The common serviceberry is generally not large enough for saw timber, but it is often utilized for pulpwood4. The wood of the common serviceberry is extremely durable and can hold a polish, so it is occasionally made into tool handles4.  Common serviceberry fruit can be enjoyed by humans as is or by baking it into pastries, puddings, and pies5. 

Threats  

The common serviceberry may be infected by many of the diseases common to plants in the Rosaceae family, though damage to the plant is mostly cosmetic8.  Diseases that may infect the common serviceberry can consist of leaf spot, rust, or powdery mildew8.  Pests that eat away at the bark of the tree include Japanese beetles, spider mites, aphids, and leaf miners3,4.  Additionally, the bark of the common serviceberry is very thin and can be easily damaged by machinery8.  Environmental damage such as drowning and edema may occur if the soil where this species is growing becomes too water-saturated, leading to rotted roots and bark and blisters on leaves4. 

 Interesting Facts  

  • There are several different common names for the common serviceberry, depending on location: downy serviceberry, juneberry, saskatoon, shadblow, shadbush, sugarplum10.  
  • Native Americans belonging to the Cree tribe have praised this species for its effectiveness in their manufacturing of bows4. 
  • The common serviceberry is related to the crabapple, cherry, plum, and peach trees, which are all members of the Rosaceae family11.
  • Serviceberry fruit has a sugar content of 20% and are sweeter than blueberries and raspberries7.

References  

  1. Trees of Wisconsin: Amelanchier Arborea, Downy Juneberry
  2. Honey Plants, Amelanchier arborea.  
  3. Missouri Botanical Garden:  Amelanchier arborea
  4. Nesom, Guy. “Downy Serviceberry .” Plant Guide, USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service , 2006,Serviceberry:  
  5. Backyard Forager–Serviceberry:  The most delicious fruit you aren’t eating
  6. “Birds Attracted to Serviceberry.” Exploring Birds, 2016, 
  7.  “Serviceberries.” Canadian Wildlife Federation, 2021, 
  8. Sheahan, C.M. “Canadian Serviceberry .” Plant Guide, USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service , 2015,
  9. Wickimedia commons: Amelanchier arborea
  10.  North Carolina State Extension: Amelanchier arborea  
  11. Chase, Nan K. “The Amazing Serviceberry.” Mother Earth News, 2012, www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/the-amazing-serviceberry. 
  12. Maryland Plant Atlas–Amelanchier arborea 
  13. CalPhotos–Amelanchier arborea

Contributed by  E. Thomas

Towson University Glen Arboretum

Towson University