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Saskatoon berries

Amelanchier alnifolia
Amelanchier alnifolia 6338.JPG
A. a. var. semiintegrifolia; Skagit Bay, Washington
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Amelanchier
Species: A. alnifolia
Binomial name
Amelanchier alnifolia
(Nutt.) Nutt.
Amelanchier alnifolia range map 1.png
Natural range of Amelanchier alnifolia
Synonyms
  • A. florida Lindl.
  • A. pumila (Torr. & A. Gray) Nutt. ex M. Roem.
  • Aronia alnifolia Nutt.

Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, chuckley pear, or western juneberry, is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north-central United States. Historically, it was also called pigeon berry. 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 the Rocky Mountains, and is a common shrub in the forest understory.

The name saskatoon derives from the Cree inanimate noun misâskwatômina (misâskwatômin NI sg, saskatoonberry, misâskwatômina NI pl saskatoonberries). The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is named after this berry.

The species name alnifolia is a feminine adjective. It is a compound of the Latin word for "alder", , and the word for "leaf", .

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that most often grows to 1–8 m (3–26 ft), rarely to 10 m or 33 ft, in height. Its growth form spans from suckering and forming colonies to clumped.

The leaves are oval to nearly circular, 2–5 cm (34–2 in) long and 1–4.5 cm (121 34 in) broad, on a 0.5–2 cm (1434 in) leaf stem, margins toothed mostly above the middle.


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