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Western Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
  
About Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) 28 Nurseries Carry This Plant Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a beautiful shrub that grows primarily in Northern California and the Sierra mountains. Western Serviceberry has year-round interest, with showy apple-like white flowers that appear in spring, edible blueberry-tasting fruits in the summer, fall color foliage, and bare branches in the winter.

Western Serviceberry typically is a rounded shrubby form, though it can grow more upright, especially in shady areas. It can be pruned for either a flatter or more rounded, open spreading shape.

Western Serviceberry is fairly easy to grow in soil with excellent drainage, though it prefers loam or sandy loam. In its natural range, at higher elevations, it prefers full sun, needing little or no watering in summer, and is fast growing and long lived - reaching 6 feet in 3 to 6 years and lasting about 60 years. Outside its natural range, it prefers part shade and regular irrigation, and can be slow growing and short lived.

Western Serviceberry is an important food source for birds and animals, and is still grown commercially for human consumption.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
15 - 35 ft tall
15 - 20 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Great wildlife plant. Attracts birds and small animals.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -25 - 60° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay. Prefers sandy loam or loam soils.. Soil PH: 6 - 7

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bird Gardens

Maintenance
Maintenance
Serviceberries are prone to a number of diseases, including rusts, fireblight, powdery mildew, and Entomosporium leaf, and insects such as elm aphid, saskatoon, sawfly, mites and leaf rollers. Prune as described above to reduce chances of diseases, and plant insectary crops such as Queen Anne's lace, white clover, cowpea and yarrow nearby to keep insects under control.. Prune to an open form in order to increase light and air flow though the plant, and reduce the chances of disease. For the first three years, only remove low branches and dead, or diseased stems. In order to maximize berry production, start regular pruning after the plant reaches about 6 feet tall (3-6 years), and regularly remove older branches.

Propagation
Propagation?
Easy to propogate, and readily grows nearby seedlings. Seedling will grow about 1 foot per year. For propagating by seed: 4-6 mos. stratification ( USDA Forest Service). 4 mos. warm then 4 mos. cold stratification (Heit 1971) may improve germination.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Relatively dry open places, slightly moist hillsides, near streams or lakes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.0" - 158.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.34" - 6.12", Coldest Month: 23.7" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 43.8" - 87.8", Humidity: 0.03" - 22.88", Elevation: 10" - 11194"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Juneberry, Pacific Serviceberry, Western Shadbush


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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