Buy Amelanchier alnifolia

Also Known As

Indian Pear
June Berry
May Cherry
Saskatoon Berry
Saskatoon Serviceberry
Shadbush
Western Serviceberry

Plant type

tree, shrub, fruit / vegetable

size

H: 6'-15'
W: 5'-8'

planting zones

4a-9b

1 gallon | $39

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Fewer than 5 at Forestfarm

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Amelanchier alnifolia plant details

Amelanchier alnifolia is a broadleaf deciduous fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree with green foliage. In spring white flowers emerge followed by blue fruit. Attracts bees, beneficial insects and birds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - dappled shade and regular - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in acidic, average, clay, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and verticillium wilt resistant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Amelanchier alnifolia

Plant type: fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree
Plant family: rosaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 5 FT - 8 FT - wide, 6 FT - 15 FT - tall
Flowers: white blooms in spring
Uses: bare root shipping available, culinary, easy-to-grow, edible, fall color, fragrant, native plant

GROWING CONDITIONS for Amelanchier alnifolia

USDA Zones: 4a - 9b
Sun exposure: sun - dappled shade
Watering frequency: regular - low
Resistant to: heat and verticillium wilt
Soil needs: acidic, average, clay, rich and well-drained

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Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Amelanchier alnifolia is best-known as the Saskatoon berry but is also called the western or alder leaved serviceberry. It is a super hardy medium sized to large deciduous shrub that produces lovely white flowers in spring followed by tasty blue to purple-black fruit in summer that can be used in jams, jellies, pies, and herbal teas. The fruit have a similar nutrient profile to blueberries. The fruit was an important food for First Nations peoples who added the berries to dried meat to make pemmican. It is also an important larval host to the caterpillars of various swallowtail butterfly species. The fruit is eaten by birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. Photo: Wikipedia.

By: Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd.

Though we now enjoy this med-large shrub as much for the spring harbinger roll, its very early white flowers play, as for its end-of-summer fruit and fall color, that fruit was of great importance to Indians and settlers alike. S-PSh/M

By: Forestfarm

The Saskatoon Berry, or Western Serviceberry, grows as a small tree or large shrub and produces pure white spring flowers followed by fruit that look almost identical to a blueberry. The sweet fruit ripen over several weeks and are produced in large quantities when trees are healthy. Although the berries are delicious eaten fresh they are most commonly used to make jams and other preserves.

By: Red Panda Nursery

The beautiful blossoms in the spring are followed by a sweet, June ripening fruit. Saskatoons like a rich loamy soil but will tolerate nearly any soil (pH neutral to acidic). In fact, a little stress on an established plant yields sweeter fruit. The taste is similar to blueberries. Saskatoons are beginning to make their way into the USA retail market. They are currently commercially popular in Canada for fresh market, u-pick and preserves. Saskatoons are related to apples so their flavor has hints of apple along with blueberry.

By: jiovi® at Foxgreen Farm

Tough as a bucket of rocks, this North American native grows in the wild from upper latitudes in Canada at low elevation all the way south into the mountains of California. Ornamental across all seasons for its winter multi-stem habit, spring flowers, summer fruit and fall color. Berries relished by wildlife (including wilder varieties of people).