1Up Info - A Portal with a Difference

1Up Travel - A Travel Portal with a Difference.    
1Up Info
   

Earth & EnvironmentHistoryLiterature & ArtsHealth & MedicinePeoplePlacesPlants & Animals  • Philosophy & Religion  • Science & TechnologySocial Science & LawSports & Everyday Life Wildlife, Animals, & PlantsCountry Study Encyclopedia A -Z
North America Gazetteer


You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry
 

Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 


Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 

Wildlife Species

  Amphibians

  Birds

  Mammals

  Reptiles

 

Kuchler

 

Plants

  Bryophyte

  Cactus

  Fern or Fern Ally

  Forb

  Graminoid

  Lichen

  Shrub

  Tree

  Vine


BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Saskatoon serviceberry is a native, deciduous shrub or small tree reaching 3 to 26 feet (1-8 m) at maturity. Grown alone, the crown is rounded with spreading to erect branches [51]. Growth form is highly variable, however; Saskatoon serviceberry often forms thickets, mats, or grows in clumps [48]. The flowers and fruits are borne in terminal clusters; the fruits are berrylike pomes. Each fruit contains 4 to 10 small seeds, some of which are usually infertile. The seedcoat is leathery in texture [20]. Underground portions of Saskatoon serviceberry include a massive root crown, horizontal and vertical rhizomes, and an extensive root system [19,101]. Bradley [19] reported that the root crown a 9-year-old individual excavated in Pattee Canyon, Montana, measured 4 inches (10.5 cm) in diameter and 8 inches (20.7 cm) in length. Rhizomes extending from the root crown were long and massive; horizontal rhizomes reached at least 7.8 inches (20 cm) and vertical rhizomes extended at least 30.4 inches (78 cm). Roots of a 12-inch-tall (30 cm) Saskatoon serviceberry excavated in Idaho extended 32 inches (80 cm) below ground [105]. Saskatoon serviceberry is relatively short lived. Lonner (cited in [48]) reported that in western Montana, 61 percent of 470 plants were between 6 and 20 years old (mean = 17.9). The oldest individual was 85. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Phanerophyte Geophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Saskatoon serviceberry reproduces from seed, by sprouting from the root crown and/or rhizomes, and by layering [19,20,35,95]. Vegetative reproduction by sprouting is most common. On four western Montana sites, Hemmer [48] found that over 90 percent of new stems sampled were sprouts from previously existing plants. On two burns, all sprouts originated from root crowns. On two clearcuts, most sprouts came from rhizomes. Regeneration from seed is apparently rare, being limited by moisture, low spring temperature, and/or disease [16,20]. In several locations in western Montana, Hemmer [48] found that sprouting from top-killed plants was common, but only one site, on the Yaak River, had Saskatoon serviceberry seedlings. Flowers are produced almost every year, but because of drought, spring frost, and/or juniper rust (Gymnosporangium spp.), good seed crops may be produced only every 3 to 5 years [16,48]. Even under good conditions, most fruits contain some unviable seed [51]. Seed is dispersed by frugivorous birds and mammals [20,90]. It is dormant and requires overwinter stratification. In the laboratory, seventy percent germination was obtained from fresh seed stratified for 180 days and then given day/night temperatures of 86/68 degrees Fahrenheit (30/19 deg C) for a month [20]. Good seed may remain viable for years. Seed stored in an unheated warehouse in Utah showed 91, 80, 91, 85, and 84 percent germination after 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years of storage, respectively [92]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Saskatoon serviceberry grows on mountain slopes, hillsides, prairies, and riparian zones [31]. Pfister and others [81] reported Saskatoon serviceberry in every habitat type in Montana except timberline and moist subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) types. Atzet and McCrimmon [12] noted that in the Cascade Range of Oregon, white fir-lodgepole pine (A. concolor-Pinus contorta)/Saskatoon serviceberry associations tend to occur in frost pockets. Saskatoon serviceberry grows on relatively infertile soils but also occurs on nutrient-rich substrates [91]. Soils are well-drained and typically mesic, although moisture regime varies from moist to seasonally dry [48,57,91]. Saskatoon serviceberry apparently does not tolerate prolonged drought. In Montana it does not occur on sites with less than 14 inches (355 mm) of annual precipitation [48]. Saskatoon serviceberry occurs from near sea level to timberline [48]. Elevational range by state is: California 160 to 8,530 feet (50-2,600 m) [51] Colorado 5,000 to 10,000 feet (1,500-3,000 m) [46] Utah 4,000 to 9,500 feet (1,220-2,900 m) [103] SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Saskatoon serviceberry grows in open sun to moderate shade. It is intolerant of deep shade, and declines with canopy closure [3,9,43]. It rarely establishes from seed in early stages of primary succession [26,37]. Eleven years after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington, mature Saskatoon serviceberry plants occurred only on refugia plots on the volcano slope. Neither seedlings nor mature plants occurred on sites of volcanic deposition [26]. Riparian succession: In riparian areas in southeastern British Columbia, Saskatoon serviceberry occurred mostly in stabilized black cottonwood (Populus deltoides) galleries on the upper floodplain. It did not occur on low gravel bars subject to frequent flooding [37]. A study on the Yellowstone River of Montana had similar findings. The successional sere there is: plains black cottonwood (P. deltoides var. monilifera) seedling; plains black cottonwood-Sandbar willow (Salix interior) sapling; pole plains black cottonwood; mature plains black cottonwood; shrub thicket; and grass. Saskatoon serviceberry was most common in mature plains black cottonwood stands and in shrub thickets. It was sparse on grassland and absent in seres with young plains black cottonwood [17]. Secondary succession: Saskatoon serviceberry is common after disturbances such as fire, logging, or insect outbreak [6,9,95]. Saskatoon serviceberry increased significantly (P < 0.1) after a stand-destroying mountain pine beetle attack in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in Glacier National Park, Montana. Maximum foliage production of Saskatoon serviceberry occurred 2 years after the overstory was killed [6]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Saskatoon serviceberry flowers early in the growing season [20]. It is usually the first shrub to bloom in spring. Anthesis is a mass event lasting about 2 weeks [90]. Leaves emerge during or just after flowering [20]. Fruits ripen 1 to 2 months later, from July to September, depending upon location [101]. General fruiting and flowering periods are given below. flowers fruits _________ ______ Alaska June July [102] North Dakota May -- [23] Ontario June July and August [88] Saskatchewan May-July -- [109] A more detailed calendar of phenological development of Saskatoon serviceberry east of the Continental Divide of Montana and in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is presented below [85]. Event Dates ___________________ _________________________ leaf buds open April 12- May 29 flowering starts April 15 - June 18 flowering stops May 15 - July 3 leaves fully expanded May 15 - July 13 fruits ripe July 10 - August 19 seed fall starts July 11 - September 15 leaves change color July 23 - September 25 leaf fall begins August 13 - October 1 leaves fallen September 5 - October 21

Related categories for SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry

Send this page to a friend
Print this Page

Content on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information published on this site. We encourage you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities.

Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy | Links Directory
Link to 1Up Info | Add 1Up Info Search to your site

1Up Info All Rights reserved. Site best viewed in 800 x 600 resolution.