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amélanchier de Bartram, Bartram's serviceberry, mountain serviceberry, mountain shadbush, mountain shadbush or serviceberry, oblongfruit serviceberry

amélanchier de Fernald, Fernald's shadbush

Habit Shrubs, 0.3–2.5(–5) m. Stems 1–50, fastigiate, suckering and forming ± dense colonies. Shrubs, 0.5–1 m, rhizomatous.
Stems

1–50, usually forming colonies.

Leaves

half-unfolded;

petiole (2–)4.5–10.5(–25) mm;

blade narrowly elliptic-oval to oblong to broadly oval, (26–)37–51(–74) × (12–)20–29(–48) mm, base usually cuneate, each margin (2–)8–14(–27) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (2–)7–12(–21) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth less than 1 mm, apex acute to rounded, abaxial surface sparsely (moderately) hairy (or glabrous) by flowering, glabrous or sparsely hairy later, adaxial glabrous (or sparsely hairy) later.

mostly or fully unfolded;

petiole 1–25 mm;

blade elliptic-oblong to oblong-obovate, 50–80 × 15–45 mm, base rounded to subcordate, each margin with 4–18 teeth on proximal 1/2 and 5–10 teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth less than 1 mm, apex subacute to rounded or mucronate, abaxial surface glabrous (or sparsely hairy) by flowering, surfaces glabrous later.

Inflorescences

(1 or)2 or 3(or 4)-flowered, (6–)13–25(–38) mm.

3–8-flowered, 20–40 mm.

Pedicels

(0 or)1(–3) subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (4–)11–21(–35) mm.

usually 1 subtended by a leaf, proximalmost 15–35 mm.

Flowers

sepals ascending to recurved after flowering, (1.7–)2.7–3.9(–6) mm;

petals oblong-oval to broadly elliptic, (5.5–)7.1–8.7(–16.9) × (2.6–)3.9–5.3(–7) mm;

stamens (8–)18–21(–25);

styles (3 or)4 or 5, (2.7–)3.8–5.2(–6.1) mm;

ovary apex densely hairy (or glabrous).

sepals ascending or spreading after flowering, 3–5 mm;

petals oval to broadly oblanceolate, 8–15 × 3–6 mm;

stamens 20;

styles 5, length unknown;

ovary apex densely hairy.

Pomes

dark purple, pear-shaped, 10–15 mm diam. 2n = 2x, 3x, 4x.

dark purple or almost black, 6–10 mm diam.

Amelanchier bartramiana

Amelanchier fernaldii

Phenology Flowering May–Aug; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Jun–Jul; fruiting Jul–Aug.
Habitat Cool woods, mountain slopes, summits, bogs, poor fens, conifer swamps, acidic soil, sandy lake shores, stream banks, rocky ridges, roadside thickets Ravines, thickets, barrens, rocky banks, shores, sea cliffs, swamps, wet woods, often calcareous
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; PA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NB; NF; NS; PE; QC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Amelanchier bartramiana is the only North American Amelanchier with leaves that are imbricate in bud, usually fewer than four flowers per inflorescence, and conic ovary apices (and hence fruits that are more or less pear-shaped rather than globose as in other members of the genus). Because of these differences, P. Landry (1975) placed A. bartramiana in its own subgenus, and all other members of the genus in another. W. H. Blanchard (1907), W. A. Robinson and C. R. Partanen (1980), and Robinson (1982) also recognized the distinctness of this species. Amelanchier bartramiana grows farther north than any other shadbush in eastern North America, and more than other shadbushes, it occupies relatively undisturbed habitats, such as peatlands and natural breaks in mature forests. Some plants in this species produce seed sexually (C. S. Campbell et al. 1987). Sexual plants of A. bartramiana are self-incompatible diploids; a tetraploid individual has been reported (A. C. Dibble et al. 1998); it had relatively large petals and might have been an autotetraploid.

Amelanchier bartramiana usually flowers with A. laevis, and it frequently hybridizes with other members of the genus. M. L. Fernald (1950) and L. Cinq-Mars (1971) reported hybrids with A. arborea (A. ×quinti-martii Louis-Marie), A. canadensis, A. fernaldii, A. gaspensis, A. humilis, A. intermedia, A. laevis, A. sanguinea, A. spicata, and A. interior. The hybrid with A. laevis can usually be found when these two species grow together (J. E. Weber and C. S. Campbell 1989). The authors have documented a hybrid between A. arborea and A. bartramiana in eastern Pennsylvania (M. B. Burgess et al., unpubl.).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The rhizomatous habit, leaves that are glabrous upon expanding, and densely hairy ovary apices in Amelanchier fernaldii are a distinctive combination of characteristics. Its relationships to congeners are unclear. Access to flowering material clearly assignable to A. fernaldii has not been available, and the size of floral parts was taken from M. L. Fernald (1950).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 657. FNA vol. 9, p. 655.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier
Sibling taxa
A. alnifolia, A. amabilis, A. arborea, A. canadensis, A. cusickii, A. fernaldii, A. gaspensis, A. humilis, A. interior, A. intermedia, A. laevis, A. nantucketensis, A. nitens, A. pallida, A. sanguinea, A. spicata, A. utahensis
A. alnifolia, A. amabilis, A. arborea, A. bartramiana, A. canadensis, A. cusickii, A. gaspensis, A. humilis, A. interior, A. intermedia, A. laevis, A. nantucketensis, A. nitens, A. pallida, A. sanguinea, A. spicata, A. utahensis
Synonyms Pyrus bartramiana
Name authority (Tausch) M. Roemer: Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 3: 145. (1847) Wiegand: Rhodora 22: 149. (1920)
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