Amelanchier laevis
Allegheny Serviceberry
Rosaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to Canada down through Georgia and across to Kansas
- zone 4
Habit and Form
- a deciduous tree
- 15' to 25' tall
- 5' to 10' wide
- multi-stemmed
- medium texture
- medium growth rate
Summer Foliage
- deciduous simple leaves
- alternate leaf arrangement
- elliptic-oblong leaf shape
- 1.25" to 3" long
- cordate leaf base
- glabrous
- purple new growth
- dark green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- yellow-orange to red fall color
- colors early and leaves fall early
Flowers
- white flowers
- glabrous pedicels
- 2" to 4" long
- blooms late April
- showy but short-lived
Fruit
- black pome fruit
- favorite or birds and other animals
- 0.66" in diameter
Bark
- slender glabrous stems
- reddish brown stem color
- older bark is a dull gray
- smooth
- striped
Culture
- full sun
- prefers wet sites
- generally pruned up to form small tree
- transplants easily
Landscape Uses
- for bark effect
- specimen planting
- small grouping
- flower effect
Liabilities
-
rusts, scales, aphids and mildews
ID Features
- long, pointed buds with silky white hairs
- 0.5" long
- buds are green with red edges
- white flowers held in long racemes
- black, edible fruit
- alternate leaf arrangement
Propagation
- by seed
Cultivars/Varieties
'Cumulus' - Usually grown as a single-stem tree or grafted, this selection can be used where a small tree is called for. The habit is upright-oval with reduced horizontal branch spread (to 30' tall, 20' wide). Both flower set and fall color are very good, but some observers claim that this selection may be prone to fire blight damage..
'Prince Charles' - An upright form (to 25' tall) with early flowers before the leaves and fruit that supposedly is quite pleasant to the taste. New leaves are bronzy-red and the fall foliage is orange-red.
'R.J. Hilton' - A Canadian selection said to exhibit overall fine characteristics. The form is tree-like.
'Snowcloud' - A fastigiate form with a narrow outline (25' tall, 15'
wide) and fine quality purple-black fruits. The summer foliage is blue-green
and these leaves turn orange in fall.