Amelanchier alnifolia

Amelanchier alnifolia, thesaskatoon berry,Pacific serviceberry,western serviceberry,western shadbush, orwestern juneberry,is a shrub native to North America. It is a member of therose family, and bears an edible berry-like fruit.
It is adeciduousshrubor small tree that most often grows to 1–8 metres (3–26 feet),rarely to 10 m or 33 ft,in height. Its growth form spans from suckering and formingcoloniesto clumped.The leaves are oval to nearly circular,2–5 centimetres (3⁄4–2 inches) long and1–4.5 cm (1⁄2–1+3⁄4in) broad, on a0.5–2 cm (1⁄4–3⁄4in)leaf stem, withmarginstoothed mostly above the middle.
As with all species in the genusAmelanchier, the flowers are white,with five quite separate petals and five sepals. InA. alnifolia, they are about 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) across, with 20 stamens and five styles,appearing on shortracemesof 3–20,somewhat crowded together, blooming from April to July.
The fruit is a small purplepome5–15 mm (3⁄16–19⁄32in) in diameter, ripening in early summer.It has awaxy bloom. Saskatoon species can be relatively difficult to distinguish.
Saskatoons have totalpolyphenolcontent of 452 milligrams per 100 grams (average of 'Smoky' and 'Northline'cultivars),flavonols(61 mg) andanthocyanins(178 mg),although others have found the phenolic values to be either lower in the 'Smoky' cultivaror higher.Quercetin,cyanidin,delphinidin,pelargonidin,petunidin,peonidin, andmalvidinwere present in saskatoon berries.
The threevarietiesare:
The namesaskatoonderives from theCreeinanimate nounᒥᓵᐢᐠᐘᑑᒥᓇmisâskwatômina(ᒥᓵᐢᐠᐘᑑᒥᐣmisâskwatôminNI sg, 'saskatoonberry',misâskwatôminaNI pl'saskatoonberries').
The specific epithetalnifoliais a feminineadjective. It is acompoundof theLatinword for "alder",alnus, and the word for "leaf",folium.
Historically, it was also calledpigeon berry.
"Service berry" appears to be a name applied by European immigrants who found it similar in appearance to the European "service tree" plants of genusSorbusandCormus.
The plant can be found from Alaska across most ofwestern Canadaand in the western and north-central United States.It grows from sea level in the north of the range, up to 2,600 m (8,530 ft) elevation in California and 3,400 m (11,200 ft) in theRocky Mountains.It is a common shrub in the forestunderstory,as well as canyons.
A. alnifoliais susceptible tocedar-apple rust,Entomosporiumleaf spot,fireblight,brown rot,Cytosporacanker,powdery mildew, and blackleaf.Problem insects includeaphids,thrips,mites,bud moths, saskatoonsawflies, and pear slug sawflies.It is also a larval host to thepale tiger swallowtail,two-tailed swallowtail, and thewestern tiger swallowtail.
The foliage is browsed by deer, elk, rabbits, and livestock.The fruit are eaten by wildlife including birds, squirrels, and bears.
Seedlings are planted with 4.0–6.1 m (13–20 ft) between rows and 0.46–0.91 m (1.5–3 ft) between plants. An individual bush may bear fruit 30 or more years.
Saskatoons are adaptable to most soil types with exception of poorly drained or heavy clay soils lacking organic matter. Shallow soils should be avoided, especially if the water table is high or erratic. Winter hardiness is exceptional, but frost can damage blooms as late as May. Large amounts of sunshine are needed for fruit ripening.
Saskatoon berries contain significant amounts of totaldietary fiber,riboflavinandbiotin, and thedietary minerals, iron andmanganese, a nutrient profile similar to the content of blueberries.
With a sweet, nutty taste, the fruits have long been eaten byIndigenous peoples in Canada, fresh or dried. They are well known as an ingredient inpemmican, a preparation of dried meat to which saskatoon berries are added as flavour andpreservative. They are used insaskatoon berry pie,jam,wine,cider, beers, and sugar-infused berries similar todried cranberriesused forbreakfast cereals,trail mix, andsnackfoods.
In 2004, the BritishFood Standards Agencysuspended saskatoon berries from retail salespending safety testing; the ban eventually was lifted after pressure from the European Union.
The city ofSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, is named after the berry;the city is also home to a baseball team called theSaskatoon Berries.