Pyrus canadensis

(L.) Farw.

Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shad-bush, Sweet pear, Shadblow serviceberry

RosaceaeFruit

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit are eaten raw or cooked—stewed, dried, preserved, and used in pancakes, muffins, pies, sauces, jams, jellies, and cakes. The dried fruit are used like raisins.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It suits light well drained acid soils. Plants are naturalised in Sweden. It suits hardiness zones 5-9. Arboretum Tasmania.

Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, North America, Scandinavia, Sweden, Tasmania, USA,

Countries: Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Austria, Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, United States, St Vincent

How to Identify

A small deciduous shrub or tree. It grows to 5-8 m high and spreads to 3 m across. It forms suckers. The stem is erect and slender. It can have several stems. The leaves are oval and sword shaped. Young leaves are very hairy. They turn red in autumn. The flowers are white and in drooping clusters. The fruit are small red berries about 7-10 mm across. They turn black on maturity. They are edible.

How to Grow

They are grown from ripened seed. It can be grown from seed, layering or suckers. Seed can take 18 months to germinate and layers can take 18 months to form roots.

Production

Trees can yield 7 to 15 tonnes per hectare.

Notes

There are about 25-30 Amelanchier species.

Names & Synonyms

Amelanchier canadensis (L.) Medik.Mespilus canadensis L.

References (24)

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