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

amélanchier intermédiaire, intermediate serviceberry, intermediate shadbush

Habit Shrubs, 0.5–5 m. Stems 1–100, often colonial, much branched. Shrubs or trees, 2–7 m. Stems 1–50, fastigiate, 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.

half-unfolded;

petiole (14–)16–21.8(–24) mm;

blade elliptic to slightly obovate, (39–)46–65(–77) × (25–)26–38(–45) mm, base subcordate or rounded, each margin with (5–)13–19(–20) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (5–)13–19(–20) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth less than 1 mm, apex acute to short-acuminate, abaxial surface sparsely hairy by flowering, surfaces glabrous later.

Inflorescences

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

(6 or)7–10-flowered, 35–59(–77) mm.

Pedicels

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

0 or 1 subtended by a leaf, proximalmost (13–)14–25(–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 ascending to recurved after flowering, (2–)3.3–4.5(–5.2) mm;

petals oblong, (10–)12.7–17.7(–18.5) × (3–)3.9–5.3(–5.7) mm;

stamens (18–)20(–21);

styles (4 or)5, (3.3–)3.8–4.8(–5) mm;

ovary apex glabrous (or sparsely hairy).

Pomes

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

dark purple, 7–12 mm diam. 2n = 4x.

Amelanchier utahensis

Amelanchier intermedia

Phenology Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Jun–Aug.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, canyons, stream banks, mountainsides, foothills, deserts Swamps, bogs, thickets, shores
Elevation 900–3500 m (3000–11500 ft) 0–1000 m (0–3300 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
CT; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; SC; VA; VT; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[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 intermedia is morphologically closest to A. laevis. In a study of morphologic variation involving A. canadensis, A. intermedia, A. laevis, and other species of Amelanchier, A. C. Dibble et al. (1998) found that the only two species that overlap are A. intermedia and A. laevis. P. Landry (1975) considered A. intermedia to be the hybrid of A. arborea (including A. laevis) and A. canadensis, and the authors have data that suggest A. intermedia is a hybrid of A. canadensis and A. laevis.

Amelanchier intermedia hybridizes with A. bartramiana, A. humilis, and A. spicata (L. Cinq-Mars 1971).

A. C. Dibble et al. (1998) reported that two individuals of Amelanchier intermedia, both tetraploids, were apomictic.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 650. FNA vol. 9, p. 660.
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. humilis, A. interior, 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
Name authority Koehne: Gatt. Pomac., 25, plate 2, fig. 20e. (1890) Spach: Hist. Nat. Vég. 2: 85. (1834)
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