Amelanchier

Amelanchier

• INTRODUCTION

Amelanchier is native to temperate regions of the hemisphere, growing primarily in early successional habitats. It is most numerous taxonomically in North America, particularly within the northeastern us and adjacent southeastern Canada, and a minimum of one species is native to each U.S. state except Hawaii and to every Canadian province and territory. Two species conjointly 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. A major source of complexity comes from the occurrence of hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis (asexual seed production), making species difficult to characterize and identify

The various species of Amelanchier grow to zero.2–20 m tall; some area unit tiny trees, some area unit multistemmed, clump-forming shrubs, and yet others form extensive low shrubby patches (clones). The bark is grey or less typically brown, and in tree species swish or fissuring once older. The leaves area unit deciduous, cauline, alternate, simple, lancelike to elliptic to simple , 0.5–10 x 0.5–5.5 cm, skinny to leatherlike, with surfaces above glabrous or densely tomentose at flowering, and glabrous or a lot of or less furry at a lower place at maturity. The inflorescences are terminal, with 1–20 flowers, erect or drooping, either in clusters of one to four flowers, or in racemes with 4–20 flowers. The flowers have 5 white (rarely somewhat pink, yellow, or streaky with red), linear to simple  petals, 2.6–25 mm long, with the petals in one species (A. nantucketensis) often andropetalous (bearing apical microsporangia adaxially). The flowers seem in early spring, "when the shad run" consistent with North-American tradition (leading to names like "shadbush"). The fruit is a berry-like pome, red to purple to nearly black at maturity, 5–15 mm diameter, insipid to delectably sweet, maturing in summer.

Amelanchier plants are valued horticulturally, and their fruits are important to wildlife.

§  Selected species

For North yankee species, the taxonomy follows the Flora of North America; for Asian species the Flora of China;and for the one European species the Flora Europaea.

Amelanchier alnifolia – Saskatoon serviceberry, alder-leaved Juneberry, saskatoon, saskatoon berry

Amelanchier amabilis – Lovely shadbush

Amelanchier arborea – Downy shadbush

Amelanchier asiatica

Amelanchier australis

Amelanchier bartramiana – Mountain shadbush

Amelanchier canadensis – Bilberry, eastern shadbush, Indian pear

Amelanchier humilis – Low shadbush

Amelanchier interior – Wiegand's shadbush

Amelanchier laevis – swish Juneberry, swish serviceberry,Allegheny River serviceberry

Amelanchier lamarckii

Amelanchier nantucketensis – Nantucket serviceberry

Amelanchier ovalis – Snowy mespilus

Amelanchier sanguinea – Red-twigged shadbush

Amelanchier sinica – Chinese serviceberry

Amelanchier spicata – Thicket shadbush

Amelanchier stolonifera – Running serviceberry

Amelanchier utahensis – Utah serviceberry

§  Garden hybrids

Since classifications have varied greatly over the past century, species names are often used interchangeably in the nursery trade. Several natural or agriculture hybrids conjointly exist, and many A. arborea and A. canadensis plants that area unit offered purchasable are literally hybrids, or entirely completely 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

A taxon called Amelanchier lamarckii (or A. x lamarckii) is extremely wide cultivated and naturalized in Europe, wherever it absolutely was introduced within the seventeenth century. It is apomictic, breeding true from seed, and probably of hybrid origin, perhaps descending from a cross between A. laevis and either A. arborea or A. canadensis. While A. lamarckii is known to be of North American origin, probably from eastern Canada, it is not known to occur naturally in the wild in North America

§  Etymology

The origin of the generic name Amelanchier is maybe derived from amalenquièr, Amelanchier, the Occitan names of the eu genus Amelanchier ovalis.

The name serviceberry comes from the similarity of the fruit to the connected European genus Sorbus.

A fanciful etymology explains the name 'serviceberry' by noting that the flowers bloom regarding the time roads within the Appalachian Mountains became passable, permitting circuit-riding preachers to resume church services. A similar etymology says that blooming serviceberry indicated the bottom had thawed enough to dig graves, so burial services could be held for those who died in the winter when the sole thanks to affect the bodies was to permit them to freeze and expect spring. Both of those fanciful etymologies area unit unlikely to be correct since the term is authenticated for each English and New World species as early because the sixteenth century, well before settlement of English North America,and serviceberry is far from unique in blossoming early in the year.

§  Ecology

Amelanchier plants are preferred browse for deer and rabbits, and heavy browsing pressure can suppress natural regeneration. Caterpillars of such Lepidoptera as native sulfur lepidopteron, brown-tail, grey dagger, mottled umber, rough prominent, the satellite, winter moth, and the red-spotted purple and the white admiral (both Limenitis arthemis), as well as varied different herbivorous  insects prey on genus Amelanchier. Many insects and diseases that attack woodlet trees conjointly have an effect on this genus, in particular trunk borers and Gymnosporangium rust. In years when late flowers of Amelanchier overlap those of wild roses and brambles, bees may spread bacterial fireblight.

§  Uses and cultivation

The fruit of many species area unit wonderful to eat raw, tasting somewhat like a blueberry, strongly accented by the almond-like flavour of the seeds. Selections from alderleaf Juneberry are chosen for fruit production, with several named cultivarsOther cultivars appear to be derived from hybridization between A. antifolic and A. stolonifera. Propagation is by seed, divisions, and grafting. Serviceberries graft therefore pronto that grafts onto different genera, such as Crataegus and Sorbus, are often successful. [citation needed]

Fruit is harvested locally for pies and jams.The saskatoon berry is harvested commercially. One version of the Native yankee food pemican was seasoned by serviceberry fruits together with minced dried meat and fat.

Garden history

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