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

amélanchier bas, low service-berry, low shadbush

Habit Shrubs, 0.5–5 m. Stems 1–100, often colonial, much branched. Shrubs, to 1.5 m (sometimes to 8 m in shaded conditions).
Stems

1–50, rhizomatous or suckering and forming scattered 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.

partly to fully unfolded;

petiole (5–)9.3–16.7(–24) mm;

blade elliptic or oblong to ovate or obovate, (20–)31–47(–62) × (12–)21–35(–45) cm, base rounded to cordate, each margin with (0 or)1–6(–13) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (0–)3–6(–9) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth more than 1 mm, apex broadly subacute to rounded and mucronate, abaxial surface densely hairy by flowering, surfaces sparsely (moderately) hairy (or glabrous) later.

Inflorescences

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

(5–)7–11(–14)-flowered, (12–)18–32(–51) 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–)6–11(–16) 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, (1–)1.6–2.7(–3.6) mm;

petals to ivory, obovate-oblong, (4.3–)5.9–8.7(–11.3) × (1.4–)2.3–3.9(–5) mm;

stamens (14–)18–21(–22);

styles (3–)5, (1.8–)2.3–3(–3.6) mm;

ovary apex densely hairy.

Pomes

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

almost black, 6–8 mm diam. 2n = 2x, 3x, 4x.

Amelanchier utahensis

Amelanchier humilis

Phenology Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, canyons, stream banks, mountainsides, foothills, deserts Dry, open sites with rocky, gravelly, or sandy soil, calcareous soil
Elevation 900–3500 m (3000–11500 ft) 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; TX; UT; WA; WY; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IA; IL; IN; KS; MD; MI; MN; MO; ND; NE; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SD; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC; SK
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[BONAP county map]
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 humilis is distinctive in its strongly rhizomatous or suckering habit, erect inflorescences, leaf margins with three to six teeth on distal cm, and preference for basic or neutral soils. Amelanchier humilis was considered to be conspecific with A. spicata by G. N. Jones (1946). Occurrence of A. humilis in Saskatchewan, Kansas, and Nebraska is questionable, as no specimens were seen to confirm its presence there.

M. L. Fernald (1950) reported hybrids between Amelanchier humilis and A. arborea, A. bartramiana, and A. spicata. The authors have observed putative hybrids with A. amabilis.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 650. FNA vol. 9, p. 656.
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. amabilis, A. arborea, A. bartramiana, A. canadensis, A. cusickii, A. fernaldii, A. gaspensis, 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. humilis var. campestris, A. humilis var. compacta, A. humilis var. exserrata, A. mucronata
Name authority Koehne: Gatt. Pomac., 25, plate 2, fig. 20e. (1890) Wiegand: Rhodora 14: 141, plate 95, figs. 2A–G. (1912)
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