Amelanchier stolonifera

Deciduous shrub growing to 1.5 m. Hardy to UK zone 4 and grows well in sandy, loamy, or clay soils including very acidic conditions. Tolerates semi-shade or full sun and adapts to dry or moist soil. Flowers and produces ripe seeds in May to July; bee-pollinated and self-fertile.

Description

A shrub. It grows to 1.5-2 m high and spreads 1.2-2 m wide. It develops suckers. It loses its leaves during the year. The stems are stiff and erect. The leaves are round and medium green with fine teeth along the edge. The flowers appear before the leaves. The flowers have 5 white petals. The fruit are small round green berries. These turn dark purplish-black.

Edible Uses

The fruit is edible raw or cooked — sweet and juicy with a good flavour that carries a hint of apple. The plant typically yields well in Britain, and the quality of the fruit gives it strong potential as a commercial crop. Fruit is rich in iron and copper.

Traditional Uses

Fruit are eaten raw or cooked. They are used for jelly.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The root bark has been used as a tonic.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in dry acid rocky or sandy open habitats in Eastern North America. It can tolerate considerable drought. It suits hardiness zones 4-8.

Where It Grows

Australia, Canada, North America, USA,

Cultivation

Dislikes calcareous soils. Prefers a rich loamy soil in a sunny position or semi-shade but thrives in any soil that is not too water-logged. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates dry 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. Produces suckers quite freely, the plant forms thickets. When propagated by these suckers, the new plants can begin producing a crop of fruit in their second year. The sub-species A. stolonifera micropetala was seen growing in dappled shade at Hilliers Arboretum in early April 1999. It was about 2 metres tall, suckering freely with some suckers more than 50cm from the parent plant, and flowering freely. Hybridizes with A. arborea, A. bartramiana, A. laevis and A. sanguinea. 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, then 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 being left out over winter, and should germinate in spring. Otherwise germination can be very slow, potentially taking 18 months or more. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them 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 moving to permanent positions during winter. Layering in spring takes around 18 months. Suckers can be divided in late winter, but they need to have been growing for 2 years beforehand to have developed 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 (8)

• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 108
• Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 146
• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 193
• http://en.hortipedia.com
• Jackes, D. A., Edible Forest Gardens

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