The Amelanchier genus consists of small deciduous trees or large shrubs with small blackcurrant-sized fruit. Several species are excellent to eat raw, tasting like a blueberry with a hint of almond or apple flavour from the seeds. The fruit ripens in mid-summer and is soft and juicy with a few small seeds in the centre. The fruit is cooked and used in pies and jams or dried and used as raisins.
Is Saskatoon Serviceberry Edible?
Saskatoon (A. alnifolia) grows to 4m (12ft). The fruit has a lovely sweet, nutty flavour and is rich in iron and copper. Make a tea from the leaves. Use for erosion control and as a windbreak. Fairly lime tolerant and grows well in heavy clay soils. Heat tolerant in zones 8 through 3. Juneberry (A. lamarckii)grows to 6m (20ft). The fruit is sweet and succulent with an apple flavour. One of the most agreeable fruits in the genus, they can be eaten and enjoyed in quantity.
Other Uses
• Self-fertile • Wildlife • Nectary • Hedge • Erosion control • Windbreak
Family: Rosaceae
Known Hazards: None known
Habitats: Thickets, woodland edges and banks of streams in moist, well-drained soils. Small bushy forms grow on fairly dry hillsides.
Edibility Rating: 5
Other Uses: 3
Weed Potential: None Known
Medicinal Rating: 2
More on Saskatoon Serviceberry | Amelanchier alnifolia in the PFAF Database
https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Amelanchier+alnifolia
US Native
