Amelanchier humilis
Wiegand
Low Service-berry
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(c) Tom Scavo, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Summary
Source: WikipediaAmelanchier humilis, commonly known as the low shadbush, is a North American species of serviceberry. It is native to central Canada (from Saskatchewan to Québec) and the northeastern and north-central United States (from Nebraska and the Dakotas east as far as Vermont and New Jersey).
Description
A shrub. It grows 1.8 m high and 3m wide. Plants sucker freely. The leaves are narrowly oval. The fruit are nearly black and have a bloom or covering over them. They are sweet and juicy.
Edible Uses
The fruit is edible raw or cooked, sweet, and very pleasant in flavour — juicy with a hint of apple and a few small seeds at the centre. The fruit is rich in iron and copper.
Traditional Uses
The fruit is eaten raw or cooked.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
None known.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant.
Where It Grows
North America, USA,
Cultivation
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. Plants are often found growing on calcareous soils in the wild. Hardy to about -25°c. 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 produces suckers freely, forming thickets. Closely related to A. stolonifera. Hybridizes with A. stolonifera, A. arborea and A. bartramiana. 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 hardens — and sown immediately in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. Stored seed obtained early in autumn can be given 4 weeks of warm stratification before overwintering outside, which should result in spring germination. Otherwise, germination can be very slow, potentially taking 18 months or more. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle and grow on in a sheltered outdoor position, planting out when they reach 20cm or taller. Where seed is plentiful, sow thinly in an outdoor seedbed and grow on for two years before transplanting to permanent positions in winter. Layering in spring takes around 18 months. Suckers can be divided in late winter, but they must have been growing for 2 years to have formed roots. Once rooted, they can be planted directly into permanent positions.
Other Uses
None known.
Notes
There are about 25-30 Amelanchier species.
Synonyms
References (4)
- Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 23
- Fisk, J. R. & Hoover, E., 2015, Wild Fruits of Minnesota. A Filed Guide. University of Minnesota p 8
- Rhodora 14:141. 1912
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/.
