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

pale serviceberry, pale serviceberry or shadbush, pallid service berry

Habit Shrubs, 0.5–5 m. Stems 1–100, often colonial, much branched. Shrubs, 0.5–6 m. Stems 1–50, often densely colonial, much branched.
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 (1–)4.5–8.5(–18) mm;

blade suborbiculate to oval or obovate, (15–)20–29(–44) × (10–)14–20(–28) mm, base rounded to subcordate, sometimes cuneate, each margin with 0(–2) teeth on proximal 1/2 and (0–)2–5(–9) teeth in distalmost cm, largest teeth less than 1 mm, apex rounded, truncate, or emarginate to acute and mucronate, abaxial surface moderately (sparsely) hairy by flowering, sparsely to moderately hairy later, adaxial sparsely hairy later.

Inflorescences

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

(6 or)7–11(–17)-flowered, (15–)21–29(–38) 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 (8–)12–18(–25) 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 usually erect to recurved after flowering, (1.3–)1.6–3(–4.5) mm;

petals elliptic to broadly oval, (4–)5.2–8(–9.5) × (2.2–)3.2–4.6(–6.6) mm;

stamens (12–)17–21(–23);

styles (2 or)3 or 4(or 5), (1.4–)2.1–2.7(–3.3) mm;

ovary apex moderately to densely (sparsely) hairy.

Pomes

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

often brownish, 6–10 mm diam. 2n = 2x, 4x.

Amelanchier utahensis

Amelanchier pallida

Phenology Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, canyons, stream banks, mountainsides, foothills, deserts Dry rocky slopes, canyons, chaparral, mountainsides
Elevation 900–3500 m (3000–11500 ft) 1000–2000 m (3300–6600 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
CA; OR
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 pallida is known from northern California and southern Oregon. The species is distinctive for its often broadly oval petals, relatively long proximalmost pedicels, leaves with teeth that are relatively small and few in number, and usually absent in proximal half, and much-branched habit.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 650. FNA vol. 9, p. 650.
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. intermedia, A. laevis, A. nantucketensis, A. nitens, 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) Greene: Fl. Francisc., 53. (1891)
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