ROSACEAE 



Downy Serviceberry. Shad Bush 



Amelanchier arbor ea (Michx.) Fern. {Amelanchier 

 canadensis auth.) 



HABIT. A shrub or small tree 25-40 feet high and 8-14 

 inches in diameter (max. 70 by 2 feet); crown open. 



LEAVES. Alternate; simple; oblong-ovate to oval or ovate; 

 2-4 inches long; acute at apex; finely serrate; dark green and 

 glabrous above, pale below; deciduous; petioles slender. 



FLOWERS. Regular; perfect; in erect, crowded racemes; 

 appearing with leaves; calyx tube persistent on fruit; corolla 

 white, Vi-Va inch long, of 5, strap-shaped petals. 



FRUIT. Berry-like pome; globose; H-V2 inch in diameter; 

 dark red to purple; more or less covered with glaucous bloom; 

 flesh sweet; open at summit. Seed: 5-10, dark chestnut-brown. 



TWIGS. Slender; round; becoming glabrous and red-brown 

 to dark gray-brown. Winter buds: terminal Va-Vi inch long, 

 conical, acute or acuminate, chestnut-brown. 



BARK. Thin (Vs inch); light brown, tinged with red; smooth 

 or slightly furrowed with scaly ridges. 



WOOD. Heavy; hard; close-grained; diffuse-porous; heart- 

 wood light brown; sapwood thick, light; unimportant. 



SILVICAL CHARACTERS. Tolerant when young; abun- 

 dant seeder; deep fibrous roots; capable of sprouting repeat- 

 edly; moist valleys and borders of streams to dry mountain slopes. 



GENERAL. The taxonomy within this genus is confused, 

 relatively minor characters being used to separate species. Three 

 species, keyed out below, commonly form small trees and the 

 following shrubby species have been reported as reaching tree 

 size: A. alnifolia Nutt., A. interior Niel., A. sanguinea (Pursh) DC, 

 and A. utahensis Koehne. 



I. Leaves coarsely toothed, usually only above the middle, with 

 about 7-13 teeth per inch, rounded at apex; top of ovary woolly; 



buds ovoid A. florida Lindl., Pacific Serviceberry 



I. Leaves finely toothed nearly to base with about 15-30 teeth per 

 inch, pointed at apex; top of ovary glabrous; buds lanceolate. 

 2. Leaves woolly when young; flowers in woolly racemes; fruit 



dry, on pedicels V2-I inch long ._ 



A. arborea (Michx.) Fern., Downy Serviceberry 



2. Leaves nearly glabrous from first ; racemes glabrous ; fruit sweet 

 and juicy, on pedicels 1-2 inches long; Newfoundland to Minne- 

 sota, south to Kansas and Alabama 



A. laevis Wieg., Allegheny Serviceberry 



[251] 



