Curious About … Serviceberry?

I’m reposting from my archives in celebration of Washington’s Native Plant Appreciation Month. The Washington Native Plant Society and our local Wenatchee Valley Chapter offer a wide variety of events, hikes, and activities all designed to introduce our community to the diversity and beauty of native plants.

For just a short week in April, the ravines in the Wenatchee Foothills are bursting with serviceberry blossoms. Densely packed long-petaled flowers create cloud-like bursts of white with a brief explosion of blooms. From your home, take a daily look up at the hills to watch the parade of white marching upward in elevation within each ravine.

Serviceberry or Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a native deciduous shrub that grows up to 26 feet tall. It is adapted to habitats that experience wildfire, as it quickly resprouts after being burned. It is widespread in Washington and in the U.S. – from Wisconsin to California- and throughout Canada and Alaska. Mammals like elk, deer, and bighorn sheep browse the stems and leaves in winter. Black bear, beaver, and hares eat bark, twigs, leaves, and fruits. Learn more about serviceberry ecology at the USFS Fire Effects website.

The fruits ripen in early summer and most shrubs are heavily laden. Many kinds of birds and rodents eat the fruits. Native Americas harvested and dried the berries for year-round consumption, often mixing them with dried salmon or meat to form pemmican. Serviceberry grows at a wide range of elevation, so fruits can be harvested over many weeks as people move up in elevation. I like to think that we go back in time by going up in elevation, as plant phenology (development) is dependent on the micro-climate and elevation of its locale.

A sure way to identify serviceberry is by looking at the unique pattern of serrations on the leaf edges (margins). A toothed-pattern begins at the leaf tip, and extended downward until the final third, where the edge becomes smooth. The red stems are another identifying characteristic. The growth form can be upright or sprawling, so focus on leaves, flowers, and fruits to identify this shrub.

By early June, ripe serviceberries will be ready for picking. The abundance of fruit on a single shrub means that people can share the crop without negatively impacting food available to wildlife. I use the “1 in 20 Rule” as a guide for harvesting parts of a native plant for my own consumption. Take one berry and leave nineteen berries for native animals to eat. Lots of Saskatoon jam recipes are available on the internet.

Check out my bibliography of plant identification field guides here. Serviceberry is an excellent native “firewise” landscaping plant. Visit a WSU Extension Master Gardeners Firewise Demonstration garden in East Wenatchee. Download the free Fire Resistant Plants for Chelan and Douglas Counties. or the fire-resistant landscaping brochure. Kittitas Audubon’s website has a nice publication about using native plants to preserve birds and protect homes. In the Wenatchee area you can purchase native shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses at Derby Canyon Natives.