Downy serviceberry, Shadbush, Canadian Service-berry, Juneberry, Shadblow
Amelanchier arborea

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A deciduous tree. It grows to 10 m tall and spreads to 12 m wide. The crown is narrow. The lower branches droop. The bark is grey and smooth when young and becomes ridged and scaly with age. The leaves are oval and 7.5 cm long and 4 cm wide. The leaves have fine teeth. The leaves are rounded and heart shaped at the base and pointed at the tip. They are covered with white down as they emerge. The leaves turn red, orange or yellow in autumn. The flowers occur in profuse upright sprays. The fruit are borne in small clusters and are 10 mm across.

There are about 25-30 Amelanchier species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in Eastern North America. It grows in woods and thickets on moist soil. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, North America, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw or cooked. They can be dried. The leaves are dried for tea.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves - tea

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed, layering or suckers. Seed can take 18 months to germinate and layers can take 18 months to form roots.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Mespilus arborea F. Michx.; Amelanchier canadensis (Wiegand. non (L.)Med.);