Amelanchier arborea

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
On Display: National Museum of Natural History

Accession Number: 2011-1051A

Description: The common name of this tree, serviceberry, is said to come from the fact that in some regions, its flowers are collected for church service. “Service” could also come from “sarvis,” a modified version of “Sorbus,” which is a closely related species. No matter the origin, the flowers and berries this tree produces are beautiful and useful to humans and animals.
Hardiness: -30 - 30 F
Attracts: Prefered food of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) during larval stages.
Bloom Time: March to April
Ethnobotanical Uses: Fruit eaten raw or cooked. Wood occasionally made into tool handles. Cree Indians used wood for making arrows.
Provenance: Uncertain

Topic: Trees; Living Collections

Range: Central to E. US; E. Canada
Habitat: Swampy lowlands, dry woods, sandy bluffs, rocky ridges, forest edges, open woodland, and fields

Life Form: Deciduous tree
Average Height: 15-25'. Can reach 40'.
Bark Characteristics: Purplish when young. Grey in maturity, can be scaly.
Bloom Characteristics: 3-15 flowers in elongated clusters at branch tips with 5 petals. Petals about .5" long and strap-like.
Fall Color: Red
Foliage Characteristics: Dark green, alternate, simple, obovate leaves with serrated margins. 2-5" long. Young leaves are covered in soft, woolly hair that disappears as leaf matures.
Fruit Characteristics: Berrylike. Start red, and mature to purple-black with 4-10 seeds per each fruit. Edible.
Structure: Narrow, rounded

Data Source: Smithsonian Gardens

Common Name: Common Serviceberry; Juneberry; Sarvis-berry; Sarviss Tree; Shadblow; Shadbush
Group: [vascular plants]
Class: Equisetopsida
Subclass: Magnoliidae
Superorder: Rosanae
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Amelanchier
Species: arborea

Restrictions & Rights: Usage conditions apply

Metadata Usage: Not determined

GUID

Record ID: ofeo-sg_2011-1051A

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