The genus Amelanchier is different from other members of the apple subfamily on the basis of these same characteristics. Hybrids between the different Amelanchier species are common, adding to the difficulty of accurate identification. Many species of Amelanchier are used as landscape plants because of their very early flowering. The fruit of A. alnifolia and A. canadensis in particular, are widely used in North America. The saskatoon is commonly found in open woods, coulees and bluffs, on hillsides, and along gulleys and stream banks, on dry, rocky soils in full sunlight to moist, deep, fertile soils, from near sea level to subalpine altitudes.
Moisture appears to be the limiting factor in determining habitat.
The saskatoon doesn't occur in habitats receiving less than 340 mm of annual precipitation. The saskatoon was first described botanically by Thomas Nuttall in 1818 as Aronia alnifolia . The species was also referred to as Pyrus alnifolia by Sprengel in 1825 and subsequently as Amelanchier alnifolia by Nuttall again, in 1834. The specific name alnifolia means 'with leaves like the alder'. In western North America, the saskatoon is also referred to as the western serviceberry, mountain Juneberry, western shadbush, and Rocky Mountain blueberry.