Thursday, November 6, 2008

Amelanchier alnifolia


Photo courtesy of Forest Images, taken by Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, US, Bugwood.org

In the UK, there's a variety known as the Juneberry, and according to Plants for a Future (PFAF), it's a woodland garden perrenial small shrub, "growing about 6ft tall and suckering to form a thicket. The fruit ripens in early July and looks somewhat like a blackcurrant. It is juicy and has a delicious flavour with a hint of apple in the taste. For best yields grow it on the sunny edge of the woodland. Birds absolutely adore this fruit so either grow lots so that there will be some for you, or put a net over the plants just before the fruit is ripe."

Seems there's regional varieties known as "Saskatoon serviceberry", "Western serviceberry", and others... (WARNING: All these links seem to have great resources and links to other sites, you can really get lost in a single species quickly!) Sure enough, here's its taxonomy and nomenclature report from ITIS, a propogation protocol report, courtesy of the Native Plant Network, some great photos here, here, and here. And OK, it was the first one on the list of trees and shrubs here, you figured it all out!

Some friends of mine in Illinois have a few quince trees in their front yard and made some great juice from the berries (also in the Rose family, ROSACEAE). I wonder if this would make a nice beverage too.

1 comment:

Jay said...

Maybe it could be part of thicketty barrier guild-- a few different species, gradually taller like at the edge of an old forest, softening the hard edge on a portion of the sidewalk?

Like this:

YYXYxYx.__
^forest ^edge