Object Details
Description
The common name of this tree, serviceberry, is said to come from the fact that in some regions, its flowers are collected for church service. “Service” could also come from “sarvis,” a modified version of “Sorbus,” which is a closely related species. No matter the origin, the flowers and berries this tree produces are beautiful and useful to humans and animals.
Hardiness
-30 - 30 F
Attracts
Prefered food of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) during larval stages.
Bloom Time
March to April
Ethnobotanical Uses
Fruit eaten raw or cooked. Wood occasionally made into tool handles. Cree Indians used wood for making arrows.
Provenance
Uncertain
Accession Number
2011-1051A
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Life Form
Deciduous tree
Average Height
15-25'. Can reach 40'.
Bark Characteristics
Purplish when young. Grey in maturity, can be scaly.
Bloom Characteristics
3-15 flowers in elongated clusters at branch tips with 5 petals. Petals about .5" long and strap-like.
Fall Color
Red
Foliage Characteristics
Dark green, alternate, simple, obovate leaves with serrated margins. 2-5" long. Young leaves are covered in soft, woolly hair that disappears as leaf matures.
Fruit Characteristics
Berrylike. Start red, and mature to purple-black with 4-10 seeds per each fruit. Edible.
Structure
Narrow, rounded
Range
E Canada to Central and E USA
Habitat
Swampy lowlands, dry woods, sandy bluffs, rocky ridges, forest edges, open woodland, and fields
See more items in
Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
On Display
National Museum of Natural History
Common Name
common serviceberry
juneberry
sarvis-berry
sarviss tree
shadblow
shadbush
Group
[vascular plants]
Class
Equisetopsida
Subclass
Magnoliidae
Superorder
Rosanae
Order
Rosales
Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Amelanchier
Species
arborea
Data Source
Smithsonian Gardens
Topic
Trees
Living Collections
Link to Original Record
Record ID
ofeo-sg_2011-1051A