Back to main Search Page

Amelanchier canadensis - (L.)Medik.

Juneberry

Author	(L.)Medik.	Botanical references	11, 43, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Amelanchier
Synonyms	Amelanchier oblongifolia - Roem. Mespilus canadensis - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Ontario, south to Florida. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Swamps, low ground, woods and thickets[43]. Grows in woods and hedgerows in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 6m by 3m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;

Cultivars: (as above except)
'Prince William'

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Edible fruit - raw or cooked[3, 55, 101, 159]. The fruit contains a few small seeds at the centre, it has a sweet flavour with a hint of apple[1, 2]. It can be eaten out of hand, used in pies, preserves etc or dried and used like raisins[183]. We have found the fruit to be of variable quality, with some forms having a distinct bitterness in the flavour whilst others are sweet, juicy and delicious[K]. When the fruit is thoroughly cooked in puddings or pies the seed imparts an almond flavour to the food[183]. The fruit is rich in iron and copper[226]. It is about 10mm in diameter[200]. Trees can yield 7 to 15 tonnes per hectare[160].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anthelmintic; Disinfectant; Women's complaints.

A tea made from the root bark (mixed with other unspecified herbs) was used as a tonic in the treatment of excessive menstrual bleeding and also to treat diarrhoea[222, 257]. A bath of the bark tea was used on children with worms[222, 257]. An infusion of the root was used to prevent miscarriage after an injury[257]. A compound concoction of the inner bark was used as a disinfectant wash[257].

Other Uses

Hedge; Rootstock; Shelterbelt; Wood.

This species can be used as a dwarfing rootstock for Malus spp. (the apples) and Pyrus spp. (the pears)[160]. Plants can be grown as an informal hedge[200]. Any trimming is best done after flowering[200]. A fairly wind-tolerant species, it can be used to give protection from the wind as part of a mixed shelterbelt[200]. Wood - hard, strong, close grained. Used for tool handles, small implements etc[46, 61].

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich loamy soil in a sunny position or semi-shade[1, 200] but thrives in any soil that is not water-logged, too dry or poor[11], though it is more wet-tolerant than other members of this genus[11]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers an acid soil[17, 43]. Trees produce more and better quality fruits better when growing in a sunny position[1]. 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[K]. There is at least one named variety of this species with superior fruits. 'Prince William' is a large multi-stemmed shrub to 3 metres tall and 2 metres across[183, 200]. It crops heavily and its good quality fruit is about 12mm in diameter[183]. Considerable confusion has existed between this species and A. arborea, A. laevis and A. lamarckii, see [11] for the most recent (1991) classification. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200]. Grafting onto seedlings of A. lamarckii or Sorbus aucuparia is sometimes practised in order to avoid the potential problem of hybridizing[1].

Propagation

Seed - it is best harvested 'green', when the seed is fully formed but before the seed coat has hardened, and then sown immediately in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. If stored seed is obtained early enough in the autumn, it can be given 4 weeks warm stratification before being left out in the winter and it should then germinate in the spring. Otherwise seed can be very slow to germinate, perhaps taking 18 months or more. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a sheltered outdoor position, planting them out once they are 20cm or more tall. If there is sufficient seed it is best to sow it thinly in an outdoor seedbed[78, 80]. Grow the seedlings on for two years in the seedbed before planting them out into their permanent positions during the winter. Layering in spring - takes 18 months[78]. Division of suckers in late winter. The suckers need to have been growing for 2 years before you dig them up, otherwise they will not have formed roots. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions if required.

Cultivars

'Prince William'

The purplish-blue fruits are up to 12mm in diameter, their quality is good and they are produced abundantly[183]. A large multi-stemmed shrub that grows up to 3 metres tall and 2 metres wide[183].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Edible Shrubs.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[101] Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978
A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.

[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987. 0
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[226] Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989 ISBN 0889025649
Very good on identification for non-experts, the book also has a lot of information on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Amelanchier canadensis

Jan Kola Mon Dec 04 23:42:43 2000

Juneberry is more frequently called saskatoonberry. There was project long ago, funded by Canada government, based on the breeding works of Canadian gardeners, I forgot the name. The project failed, for in Canada hand work is expensive. Saskatoonberry needs a lot of hand work. They carried out the project properly, they even built a factory for the preservation of the berries to make jellies and other products. But when it failed, there are now indians sleeping in the factory. I think it was in Alberta, Bevearlodge. Research station there now works with different plants.

But Canadian farmers soon recognized, that it is good for them to produce it, though they probably they earn more money on selling plants, than on fruits.

The fruit of A. lamarckii is so tasty, that everybody has to love it only to get used to it. They will soon love also another species fruit, though the taste of some species is a litle strange.

Don't forget, that Amelanchier is not only a Northern America plant, but it grows also in Russia, Caucasus, Crete, Northern Africa. Especially in Russia it is called IRGA and it is frequented between gardeners.

Amelanchier canadensis

Rich Wed Dec 20 11:01:57 2000

Two intresting sites for Amelanchier:

Native Fruit Development Program

http://www.saskatoonfarm.com/

If people want to get in contact with Jan Koan who wrote the previous comment they can get in touch with him at: Jan Kola, Jasminova 1616, Ostrava 70800, Czech Republik, Tel. 69 6951114

Amelanchier canadensis

Fri May 11 17:31:46 2001

You want pictures of juneberries, well here you go...

dugan garden center Rain Tree Alabama Forest Info iastate uni

that should be enough :) I got some small ones planted, but they are to young to fruit yet. They could also be chokecherries, but not sure.

Look at this to be sure:

http://wcd.saultc.on.ca:8900/dendro/webpages/servicegen.html

Amelanchier canadensis

Pam Tue Jan 6 2009

When I bought this, it was called "Serviceberry" var. "Autumn brilliance", and the berries were delicious. Very pretty!

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).