Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald ssp. laevis (Wiegand) S. McKay ex Landry
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald var. laevis (Wiegand) H.E. Ahles
Amelanchier ×grandiflora Rehder
Amelanchier laevis Wiegand var. nitida (Wiegand) Fernald
Amelanchier laevis Wiegand
Allegheny serviceberry, smooth shadbush, smooth serviceberry
Shadbush is native to eastern North America.
Plants: A deciduous shrub or modest tree, 1½–30′ (50–900 cm) in height and one to many stems. Young stems and leaves are not silky-haired.
Leaves: Alternate, finely serrated, unlobed, elliptic to obovate, ⅜–2 ⨉ ⅝–1″ (1–5.5 ⨉ 1.8–2.8 cm) in size. Leaves are hairless, and dark green, turning red-orange in the fall. Leaf stalks (petioles) are ¼–½″ (8–15 mm) long.
Flowers: The flowers, which appear in early spring, are white, lightly scented, occurring in racemes of up to 20 flowers, 1½–2″ (4–6 cm) long. Each flower has five white petals ¼–⅜ ⨉ 1/16″ (7.6–11 ⨉ 2.4 mm) in size.
Fruits: The berries are ¼–⅜″ (7–10 mm) around, and dark red, turning dark purplish black. They are pomes, the same type of fruit as apples and pears
Habitats: Thickets, open woods, sheltered slopes, and woods boundaries; and moist, well-drained soils.
Edibility: Fruits taste somewhat like apples or, according to one account, “nutty blueberries.” They are used to make pies and jams, and were used by Native Americans as part of pemmican.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald var. cordifolia (Ashe) B. Boivin
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald ssp. laevis (Wiegand) S. McKay ex Landry
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald var. laevis (Wiegand) H.E. Ahles
Amelanchier ×grandiflora Rehder
Amelanchier laevis Wiegand var. nitida (Wiegand) Fernald
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald ssp. laevis (Wiegand) S. McKay ex Landry
Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fernald var. laevis (Wiegand) H.E. Ahles
Amelanchier ×grandiflora Rehder
Amelanchier laevis Wiegand var. nitida (Wiegand) Fernald
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Rosales | Rose family and eight others |
| Family | Rosaceae | Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others |
| Genus | Amelanchier | Shadbush |
| Species | laevis | Smooth, free from hairs or roughness |
Amelanchier laevis description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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