Deciduous Native Shrub/Tree
Sun: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Height: Up to 25'
Bloom: white
Bloom Time: Spring (April, May)
Fruit: Edible; black, purple, red
Moisture: Moist, wet (less tolerant of dry soil) no more than 2 days
Soil: Well-drained, loam, rich in humus
Deer: Resistant
Drought: Sensitive
Attracts: Birds, native bees
Pollinator Benefit: Xerces Society rating: Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.)
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Serviceberry (Amalanchier laevis) The serviceberry is usually a multiple-trunked tree or shrub, 15-25 ft. tall, with dense, fine-textured branching. White flowers occur in terminal clusters before the leaves appear and are followed by summer berries turning from red to purple or nearly black. Blue-green summer foliage can become orange or red in fall. The bark is smooth and slate-gray with white, longitudinal stripes.
Very easy to grow and provides year-round interest. Berries are edible and juicier than those of the similar A. arborea. Sensitive to drought. Serviceberries can be subject to cosmetic damages from insect problems and pathogens, but damage from these problems is usually cosmetic rather than life-threatening. The sweet, juicy fruits are edible and rich in iron and copper. (Kershaw)
Native peoples dried the small pomes like raisins or mashed and dried them in cakes. Often the dried fruits were mixed with meat and fat to form pemmican, a light-weight, high-energy food that could support winter travelers for long periods if the diet was supplemented with vitamin C to prevent scurvy. (Kershaw)