Amelanchier utahensis |
Amelanchier cusickii |
|
---|---|---|
pale leaf serviceberry, pale serviceberry, Utah service-berry, Utah serviceberry or shadbush |
Cusick's serviceberry, Cusick's shadbush, saskatoon |
|
Habit | Shrubs, 0.5–5 m. Stems 1–100, often colonial, much branched. | Shrubs, 2–8 m. Stems 1–50, solitary or in 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–)12.8–19(–28) mm; blade elliptic to suborbiculate, (22–)33–46(–61) × (13–)25–32(–50) mm, base subcordate to truncate, each margin with (0 or)1–6(–11) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (2–)4 or 5(–7) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth 1 mm, apex usually truncate, sometimes mucronate to acute, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely hairy by flowering, glabrous (or sparsely hairy) later, adaxial glabrous later. |
Inflorescences | (4–)6–10(–13)-flowered, (8–)16–30(–43) mm. |
(4–)6–8(–10)-flowered, (17–)26–36(–47) mm. |
Pedicels | (0 or)1 or 2(or 3) subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (2–)7–16(–25) mm. |
(0 or)1 or 2 subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (4–)9–14(–18) 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 erect to recurved after flowering, (2.6–)3.3–4.3(–5.3) mm; petals obovate to oblanceolate, (10.8–)13.3–20.1(–23.2) × (2.3–)3.3–6.3(–7.5) mm; stamens (14–)18–20(–21); styles (4 or)5, (1.7–)2.6–4(–4.8) mm; ovary apex glabrous or sparsely hairy (or with a ring of hairs at base of styles). |
Pomes | purplish black, 6–10 mm diam. 2n = 4x. |
bluish black, 10 mm diam. 2n = 4x. |
Amelanchier utahensis |
Amelanchier cusickii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Sep. | Flowering Mar–Jul; fruiting May–Aug. |
Habitat | Dry rocky slopes, canyons, stream banks, mountainsides, foothills, deserts | Basaltic ledges, cliffs, and bluffs along streams, stony soil, streambeds, stream banks, copses, mountainsides, roadsides |
Elevation | 900–3500 m (3000–11500 ft) | 600–2300 m (2000–7500 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; TX; UT; WA; WY; Mexico (Baja California)
|
ID; MT; OR; WA; BC |
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 cusickii has distinctively long petals. Leaves that are glabrous upon expanding and glabrous or sparsely hairy ovary apices are also useful for identification. The species flowers before A. alnifolia, which suggests that the two are genetically distinct. G. N. Jones (1946) noted that A. alnifolia and A. cusickii frequently grow together and that there is no evidence of hybridization; the authors have observed hybridization between A. alnifolia var. semiintegrifolia and A. cusickii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 650. | FNA vol. 9, p. 652. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Amelanchier |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. covillei, A. glabra, A. gracilis, A. prunifolia, A. utahensis subsp. covillei, A. utahensis var. covillei | A. alnifolia var. cusickii, A. basalticola |
Name authority | Koehne: Gatt. Pomac., 25, plate 2, fig. 20e. (1890) | Fernald: Erythea 7: 121. (1899) |
Web links |