Amelanchier Medik. (1789), the serviceberry or snowy mespilus, in the family Rosaceae subfamily Maloideae, contains 20–30 species in the northern hemisphere, particularly in North America.
Description Trees to 10m, and shrubs. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, usually ovate, simple, stalked, toothed, usually turning a good red in autumn. The flowers are white, in elongated clusters, from buds formed the previous year. Sepals 5, joined at the base; petals 5, equal, usually rather narrow. Stamens 10–20. Ovary inferior. Carpels 2–5, fused, each with 2 ovules; styles 2–5. Pollination is by insects. The fruit is small and black or red, a pome (see Malus). A few small, soft-shelled seeds are formed in each of the carpels.
Key Recognition Features The ovate or round, bluntly toothed leaves on a delicately branching shrub, and the white flowers with rather narrow petals.
Evolution and Relationships Peraphyllum Nutt. has 1 species, P. ramosissimum Nutt., the squaw-apple from western North America, and is closely related to Amelanchier but differs in having flowers in groups of up to 3, with 1 style, 2 carpels, and very bitter fruit. It is a low shrub with oblanceolate leaves and pink petals 7–8mm long.
Ecology and Geography On screes and rocky slopes, in dry and wet woods, and in swamps. There is 1 species in Europe and 2 in Turkey; most of the remaining 18 are found in North America, where there are many closely related species.
Comment These are very attractive trees for spring flowering, especially on wet soils. The fruit of many species are good to eat, but small. Amelanchier lamarckii F.G. Schroed. is naturalised in southern England and commonly grown in gardens.