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pale leaf serviceberry, pale serviceberry, Utah service-berry, Utah serviceberry or shadbush

amélanchier gracieux, lovely shadbush

Habit Shrubs, 0.5–5 m. Stems 1–100, often colonial, much branched. Shrubs, 1–5 m. Stems 1–20, forming colonies.
Leaves

mostly or fully unfolded;

petiole (3–)6–13(–22) mm;

blade suborbiculate to oval or obovate, (14–)21–36(–63) × (9–)16–32(–54) mm, base usually rounded to subcordate, sometimes cuneate, each margin with 0–3(–6) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (0–)3–5(–7) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth more than 1 mm, apex usually rounded to truncate or emarginate, sometimes acute and mucronate, abaxial surface moderately (sparsely or densely) hairy by flowering, sparsely to moderately hairy later, adaxial glabrous or sparsely (moderately) hairy later.

fully unfolded;

petiole (9–)12.1–19.9(–28) mm;

blade ovate-oval, (33–)41–58(–72) × (24–)30–46(–57) mm, base rounded to subcordate, each margin with (2–)6–10(–15) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (1 or)3 or 4(or 5) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth more than 1 mm, apex subacute, abaxial surface densely (moderately) hairy by flowering, sparsely (moderately) hairy (or glabrous) later, adaxial sparsely hairy (or glabrous) later.

Inflorescences

(4–)6–10(–13)-flowered, (8–)16–30(–43) mm.

(4 or)5–8(–11)-flowered, (26–)38–57(–75) mm.

Pedicels

(0 or)1 or 2(or 3) subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (2–)7–16(–25) mm.

(0 or)1 or 2(or 3) subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (9–)18–26(–33) mm.

Flowers

sepals usually recurved after flowering, (1.6–)2.6–4.2(–6.5) mm;

petals oblanceolate to oblong, (4.9–)7.2–9.8(–14) × (1.6–)2.6–3.1(–5.3) mm;

stamens (9–)13–19(–20);

styles (2 or)3 or 4, (1.7–)2.3–3(–3.9) mm;

ovary apex moderately to densely hairy (or glabrous).

sepals spreading to recurved after flowering, (2.4–)3.5–4.9(–6.5) mm;

petals linear to narrowly spatulate, (15–)16.6–19.7(–22) × (4–)5.3–7.3(–8.6) mm;

stamens (17–)19–21(–23);

styles (3–)5, (2.3–)2.8–3.6(–4.2) mm;

ovary apex densely hairy.

Pomes

purplish black, 6–10 mm diam. 2n = 4x.

dark purple or almost black, 10 mm diam. 2n = 4x.

Amelanchier utahensis

Amelanchier amabilis

Phenology Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, canyons, stream banks, mountainsides, foothills, deserts Open woods, rocky banks, shores, calcareous sites
Elevation 900–3500 m (3000–11500 ft) 0–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; TX; UT; WA; WY; Mexico (Baja California)
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from FNA
NY; ON; QC
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Discussion

The sparsely to moderately hairy mature leaves and twigs, rounded to truncate or emarginate leaf apices, relatively short petals, and reduced numbers of stamens and styles are distinctive characteristics for the wide-ranging and common Amelanchier utahensis. Within 25 years of its publication, about a dozen names were published that G. N. Jones (1946) considered synonyms of A. utahensis. Some recent floras have recognized some of these synonymized taxa, including A. bakeri Greene, A. covillei, A. mormonica C. K. Schneider, A. oreophila A. Nelson, and A. venulosa Greene.

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

Amelanchier amabilis makes a conspicuous display with its relatively large flowers; in eastern North America, it resembles most closely A. sanguinea. Leaves with three or four teeth on distal cm of margin and largest teeth more than 1 mm are also useful for identification.

Amelanchier amabilis flowers at the same time as A. humilis and A. sanguinea. The authors have observed A. amabilis growing with A. sanguinea without the occurrence of putative hybrids; putative hybrids with A. arborea and A. humilis have been observed in the field.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 650. FNA vol. 9, p. 654.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier
Sibling taxa
A. alnifolia, A. amabilis, A. arborea, A. bartramiana, 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. alnifolia, A. arborea, A. bartramiana, 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
Synonyms A. covillei, A. glabra, A. gracilis, A. prunifolia, A. utahensis subsp. covillei, A. utahensis var. covillei A. sanguinea, A. sanguinea var. grandiflora
Name authority Koehne: Gatt. Pomac., 25, plate 2, fig. 20e. (1890) Wiegand: Rhodora 23: 48. (1921) — not A. ×grandiflora Rehder 1920
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