Amelanchier
Amelanchier | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Subfamily: | Amygdaloideae |
Tribe: | Maleae |
Subtribe: | Malinae |
Genus: | Amelanchier Medik. |
Species | |
About 20; see text |
Amelanchier (/æməˈlænʃɪər/ am-ə-LAN-sheer),[1] also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum[2] or chuckley pear,[3] 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.[4][5] A major source of complexity comes from the occurrence of hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis (asexual seed production), making species difficult to characterize and identify.[6]
The various species of Amelanchier grow to 0.2–20 m tall; some are small trees, some are multistemmed, clump-forming shrubs, and yet others form extensive low shrubby patches (
Amelanchier plants are valued horticulturally, and their fruits are important to wildlife.
Species
Species accepted by the Plants of the World Online as of As of April 2023[update]:[7]
Image | Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Amelanchier alnifolia (Nutt.) Nutt. ex M.Roem. | Saskatoon serviceberry, alder-leaved shadbush, saskatoon, saskatoon berry | Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north-central United States | |
Amelanchier amabilis Wiegand |
E. Canada to NE. U.S.A | ||
Amelanchier arborea (F.Michx.) Fernald | downy serviceberry | Gulf Coast north to Thunder Bay in Ontario and Lake St. John in Quebec, and west to Texas and Minnesota | |
Amelanchier asiatica (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. ex Walp. | Korean juneberry or Asian serviceberry | China, Japan, and Korea | |
Amelanchier bartramiana (Tausch) M.Roem. | mountain shadbush | E. Canada to NE. U.S.A | |
Amelanchier canadensis (L.) Medik. | Canada serviceberry, shadblow serviceberry,[8] bilberry,[9] eastern shadbush, Indian pear | Canada from Newfoundland west to southern Ontario, and in the United States from Maine south to Alabama. | |
Amelanchier cretica (Willd.) DC. | South eastern Europe | ||
Amelanchier cusickii Fernald | West Canada to West U.S.A | ||
Amelanchier fernaldii Wiegand | Eastern Canada. | ||
Amelanchier gaspensis (Wiegand) Fernald & Weatherby |
Quebec (Gaspé Peninsula) | ||
Amelanchier humilis Wiegand | low shadbush | Canada (from Saskatchewan to Québec) and the northeastern and north-central United States (from Nebraska and the Dakotas east as far as Vermont and New Jersey). | |
Amelanchier interior E.L.Nielsen | Wiegand's shadbush | E. Canada to N. Central & NE. U.S.A. | |
Amelanchier intermedia Spach | E. Canada to N. Central & NE. U.S.A. | ||
Amelanchier laevis Wiegand | smooth shadbush, smooth serviceberry,[10] Allegheny serviceberry | eastern Canada and the eastern United States, from Newfoundland west to Ontario, Minnesota, and Iowa, south as far as Georgia and Alabama. | |
Amelanchier nantucketensis E.P.Bicknell | Nantucket serviceberry | New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maine, and Nova Scotia. | |
Amelanchier obovalis (Michx.) Ashe | Southern Juneberry, Coastal serviceberry | United States (from New Jersey to Georgia) | |
Amelanchier ovalis Medik. | snowy mespilus[11] | southern Europe, as well as North Africa and the Middle East. | |
Amelanchier pallida Greene | pale serviceberry or western serviceberry | United States (California and Arizona) | |
Amelanchier parviflora Boiss. | Turkey | ||
Amelanchier sanguinea (Pursh) DC. | red-twigged shadbush or roundleaf serviceberry | New Brunswick to Saskatchewan, Canada to northeastern United States, and the Great Lakes region and south as far as northern Georgia | |
Amelanchier sinica (C.K.Schneid.) Chun | Chinese serviceberry[12] | Central & South China. | |
Amelanchier stolonifera Wiegand |
running serviceberry | E. Canada to N. Central & NE. U.S.A. | |
Amelanchier turkestanica Litv. | Kazakhstan (Bayanaul Hills) | ||
Amelanchier utahensis Koehne | Utah serviceberry | western North America. |
Natural Hybrids
- Amelanchier × lamarckii F.G.Schroed. ( A. arborea × A. laevis.)– Juneberry
- Amelanchier × neglecta Eggl. ex K.R.Cushman, M.B.Burgess, E.T.Doucette & C.S.Campb. (A. bartramiana × A. laevis.)
- Amelanchier × quinti-martii Louis-Marie (A. arborea × A. bartramiana. )
- Amelanchier × spicata (Lam.) K.Koch (A. alnifolia × A. humilis.) - low juneberry
Garden hybrids
Since classifications have varied greatly over the past century, species names are often used interchangeably in the nursery trade. Several natural or horticultural hybrids also exist, and many A. arborea and A. canadensis plants that are offered for sale are actually hybrids, or entirely different species. A. × grandiflora is another hybrid of garden origin, between A. arborea and A. laevis. The cultivar 'La Paloma' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[13]
A taxon called
Etymology
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2022) |
The origin of the generic name Amelanchier is probably derived from amalenquièr, amelanchièr, the Provençal names of the European Amelanchier ovalis.[16]
The name serviceberry comes from the similarity of the fruit to the related European Sorbus.
A fanciful etymology explains the name 'serviceberry' by noting that the flowers bloom about the time roads in the Appalachian mountains became passable, allowing circuit-riding preachers to resume church services. A similar etymology says that blooming serviceberry indicated the ground had thawed enough to dig graves, so burial services could be held for those who died in the winter when the only way to deal with the bodies was to allow them to freeze and wait for spring. Both of these fanciful etymologies are unlikely to be correct since the term is attested for both English and New World species as early as the 16th century, well before settlement of English North America,[17] and serviceberry is far from unique in blossoming early in the year.
Juneberry refers to the fruits of certain species becoming ripe in June. The name saskatoon originated from a Cree noun misâskwatômina (misāskwatōmina, misaaskwatoomina) for Amelanchier alnifolia. The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is named after this plant.
Shadberry refers to the
Ecology
Amelanchier plants are preferred browse for deer and rabbits, and heavy browsing pressure can suppress natural regeneration.
Uses and cultivation
The fruit of several species is safe to eat raw, possessing a mild sweetness strongly accented by the almond-like flavour of the seeds.
The fruit can be harvested for pies, muffins, jams, and wine.
In summer 2023, Red Bull introduced a juneberry flavored energy drink.[20]
The wood is brown, hard, close-grained, and heavy. The heartwood is reddish-brown, and the sapwood is lighter in color. It can be used for tool handles and fishing rods. Native Americans used it for arrow shafts. Members of the Pit River Tribe would use the wood to create a sort of body armor, crafting it into a heavy robe or overcoat and corset armor worn during fighting.[21]
Garden history
Several species are very popular ornamental shrubs, grown for their flowers, bark, and fall color. All need similar conditions to grow well, requiring good drainage, air circulation (to discourage leaf diseases), watering during drought, and soil appropriate for the species.
References
- ^ "amelanchier". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Campbell, C. S., Dibble, A. C., Frye, C. T., & Burgess, M. B. (2015). Amelanchier. In FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America 9. Magnoliophyta: Rosidae (in part): Rosales (in part). Oxford University Press, New York.
- ^ A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants: Genus Amelanchier
- .
- doi:10.1139/b90-288.
- ^ a b University of Maine: Amelanchier Systematics and Evolution
- ^ "Amelanchier Medik. - Plants of the World Online". Plants of the World Online. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
- ^ a b "Shadblow Serviceberry | Department of Horticulture". www.uky.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ Canadian Wildlife Federation: Serviceberries
- ^ smooth serviceberry, TD Tree Bee, https://treebee.ca/trees/smooth-serviceberry/
- ^ Flora Europaea: Amelanchier ovalis
- ^ Flora of China: Amelanchier sinica
- ^ "Amelanchier 'La Paloma". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ISBN 0-7195-1790-7.
- ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
- ^ Jepson Flora: Amelanchier alnifolia
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary http://www.oed.com
- ^ OCLC 799792.
- ^ a b American Society for Horticultural Science (1997). The Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit & Nut Varieties, 3rd ed. ASHS Press.
- ^ "Red Bull Sea Blue Edition". Red Bull. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ Merriam, C. Hart 1966 Ethnographic Notes on California Indian Tribes. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley (p. 222)
External links
- Juneberry, in What Am I Eating? A Food Dictionary