,
Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: serviceberry
Type: Tree
Family: Rosaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Native Range: Eastern North America
Garden Location: Suzanne Stagg Wright Rock Garden
Height: 15 to 25 feet
Spread: 15 to 25 feet
Bloom Time: March to April
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers, Fragrant Flowers
Leaves: Good Fall Color
Fruit: Showy Fruit, Edible Fruit
Wildlife: Attracts Birds
Tolerates: Clay Soil, Air Pollution
Uses: Flowering Tree
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a somewhat wide range of soils. Root suckers are common, and if not removed, will result in a shrubby growth habit for the plant.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Downy serviceberry is a deciduous, early-flowering, large shrub or small tree which typically grows 15-25' tall in cultivation but can reach 40' in the wild. A Missouri native plant that occurs most often in open rocky woods, wooded slopes, and bluffs. Features 5-petaled, showy, slightly fragrant, white flowers in drooping clusters which appear before the leaves emerge in early spring. The finely-toothed, obovate leaves exhibit good fall color. Flowers give way to small, round green berries which turn red and finally mature to a dark purplish-black in early summer. Edible berries resemble blueberries in size and color and are often used in jams, jellies and pies. Amelanchiers are commonly called Juneberries.
Plant of Merit
This is the most tree-like of the native serviceberries, typically growing 15–25 feet tall in landscapes. Five-petaled white flowers in spring, edible blueberry-like fruits in June, dark green leaves in summer and excellent orange to red fall color give this small deciduous tree multi-season beauty and interest. Good for shrub borders, open woodland areas and naturalized areas. Fruits attractive to songbirds.
Problems
No serious problems. Rust, leaf spot, fire blight and powdery mildew are occasional disease problems, and sawfly, leaf miner, borers, and scale are occasional insect pests.
Garden Uses
Best in shrub borders, or in woodland, naturalized or native plant gardens, especially with dark or shaded backdrops which tend to highlight the form, flowers and fall color of the plant. Also effective along stream banks and ponds.