Serviceberry
Scientific name: Amelanchier arborea
This valuable native plant has been given many common names over the years, including Shadblow, Shadbush and Downy serviceberry. Its very early blooming flowers appear March through May, about the time that the shad fish run upstream, earning it one of its common names. The “service” may come from an old Roman name (“sorbus”) or, more colorfully, the time of year when burials could take place, due to the earth thawing! Because it flowers so early in spring, its fruit is also early to appear, making it very valuable to birds and other wildlife that that have no other berries to eat at that time. The size and shape of this tree can vary. It may appear as a short shrub or as a small tree. Instead of one main trunk, there may be several.
Leaves
They are small, oval or elliptical with finely toothed margins and downy undersides.
Fruit
In early summer it bears round red to purple berries. These sweet berries have been used in jellies, cobblers, pies, muffins or as desert toppings.
Flowers
Five narrow white petals appearing in clusters. They do have a slight fragrance.
Habitat
May grow in open rocky areas and is often found in conjunction with oaks and dogwoods.
Leaves
They are small, oval or elliptical with finely toothed margins and downy undersides.
Bark
Grey and smooth when young, becoming darker and more grooved with age.
Fruit
In early summer it bears round red to purple berries. These sweet berries have been used in jellies, cobblers, pies, muffins or as desert toppings.
Flowers
Five narrow white petals appearing in clusters. They do have a slight fragrance.
Ecosystem Connections
The flowers are a great early source of nectar for pollinators and the fruit will attract birds including the goldfinch, titmice, chickadees, cardinals, robins and even small animals.
Human Connections
This is a wonderful plant for your own garden, because it won’t grow too tall if it’s near the house. Enjoy the early flowers in spring and the birds in summer. It is said that there are up to 35 different species of birds that enjoy the berry. In fall, the leaves turn a pleasing red. And since it casts only light shade, perennials can be planted beneath them.
Serviceberry
More on Trees and Shrubs in Lewisboro
Lewisboro was once entirely forested except for patches of open field caused by fire and wetlands and ponds which were expanded by beaver dams. Although it is hard to believe, by 1800 most of Lewisboro’s forests had been cut down and replaced by farms. In 1820 so many trees had been cleared that there was no shade anywhere along the route from Boston to New York.[1] But by the mid-1800’s farming here became uneconomical and as farms were abandoned, the forests began to re-grow. Today, 70% of New York is once again forest, what some call ‘the great environmental story of the United States’[2]. These new forests provide us with beauty and recreation, clean air and water, flood control, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures and habitat for other plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
[1] Cronon, William. Changes in the Land. Macmillan, 1983.
[2] An Explosion of Green. B. Mckibben. Atlantic Monthly 275 (April 1995): 61-83.