Amelanchier pallida aka Pale Serviceberry

Amelanchier pallida is also known as pale serviceberry. It belongs to Rosaceae, the rose family. This woody plant comes from western North America. Kew gives its native range as California to Arizona. Plants For A Future lists a wider range. It spans western states and reaches into Baja California. The two sources thus differ on its range limits. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants For A Future calls it a deciduous shrub. It gives a height of 13 feet [4 metres]. Kew calls it a tree, so accounts differ on form. It sheds its leaves, rather than keeping them year-round. In the wild, it grows on dry slopes and flats. These sites have rock or gravel in the ground. In California, it also grows in moist conifer woods. The habitat account places it below about 10,827 feet [3,300 metres]. Its sites thus range from dry ground to moist woods.

Its flowers have both male and female organs. Bees pollinate them. The plant is self-fertile: it can set fruit on its own. You can eat the fruit fresh or cooked. Plants For A Future says it provides iron and copper. The supplied species accounts give no flower colour or bloom dates. They give no fruit colour or leaf shape, either. The supplied evidence names no pests or diseases that cause problems.

In gardens, it prefers rich loam and moist soil. It also grows in sandy ground and heavy clay. Soil can be mildly acid to neutral. Give it sun or part shade. A woodland edge with light shade also suits it. Avoid ground that gets too dry or stays waterlogged. Plants For A Future says it withstands frost. It gives no hardiness zone. The edible crop is a reason to grow it near woodland edges. That source lists no known hazards. This does not prove it is safe for every use.

You can raise new plants from seed. Sow newly formed seed before its coat turns hard. Use pots outdoors or a cold frame for this method. Stored seed may need warmth, then winter cold. Seeds can take 18 months or more to sprout. Keep young plants sheltered before you plant them out. Past uses include inner bark made into treatments for snow-blindness. People also used roots to make treatments for menstrual complaints. These records show past use only. They do not prove these treatments are safe or work.