Amelanchier pallida
Greene
Pale serviceberry
(c) 2009 Barry Breckling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) 1999 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is rich in iron and copper.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in dry gravely and rocky slopes and flats below 3300 metres especially in moist coniferous forests in California in South-western N. America.
Africa, Ghana, North America, USA, West Africa,
How to Identify
A deciduous shrub reaching 4m tall. Not frost tender. Hermaphroditic and self-fertile, pollinated by bees. Suits light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils. Tolerates mildly acidic to neutral soil conditions. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.
How to Grow
Prefers a rich loamy soil in a sunny position or semi-shade but thrives in any soil that is not too dry or water-logged. Grows well in heavy clay soils. All members of this genus have edible fruits and, whilst this is dry and uninteresting in some species, in many others it is sweet and juicy. Many of the species have potential for use in the garden as edible ornamentals. The main draw-back to this genus is that birds adore the fruit and will often completely strip a tree before it is fully ripe. This species is closely related to A. alnifolia and A. florida. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Grafting onto seedlings of A. lamarckii or Sorbus aucuparia is sometimes practised in order to avoid the potential problem of hybridizing.
Propagation: Seed is best harvested green — when fully formed but before the seed coat has hardened — and sown immediately in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. Stored seed obtained early enough in autumn can be given 4 weeks of warm stratification before being left out over winter, and should germinate in spring. Otherwise, germination can be very slow, potentially taking 18 months or more. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow on in a sheltered outdoor position, planting out once they reach 20cm or more. Where seed is plentiful, sow thinly in an outdoor seedbed and grow on for two years before planting into permanent positions during winter. Layering in spring takes 18 months. Suckers can be divided in late winter, but must have been growing for 2 years to have formed roots. They can be planted directly into permanent positions if needed.
Medicinal Uses
An infusion of the inner bark is used to treat snow-blindness. A decoction made from boiled roots has been used to reduce excessively frequent menstruation.
Other Uses
None known.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Amelanchier pallida, the pale serviceberry or western serviceberry, is a species of Amelanchier native to the US states of California and Arizona. They are shrubs or small trees reaching 10 ft (3 m), with attractive blue-green foliage. They typically grow in mountains up to 11,000 ft (3,400 m) above sea level, generally alongside streams. Native Americans used to dry the berries for winter provisions, and they can be made into a jam.
Notes
There are about 25-30 Amelanchier species.
Names & Synonyms
References (4)
- Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
- Bocek, B. R., 1984, Ethnobotany of Costanoan Indians, California, Based on Collections by John P. Harrington. Economic Botany 38(2): 240-255
- INFOODSUpdatedFGU-list.xls
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/.
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