# Downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

> A small, often multi-stemmed tree with smooth silvery-gray bark and a four-season show: clouds of white flowers in early spring, sweet blueberry-like fruit in June that birds strip within days, and orange-red fall color. It fits under power lines and in small yards. The related Amelanchier canadensis, A. laevis and the hybrid cultivars 'Autumn Brilliance' and 'Robin Hill' dominate the nursery trade and are often sold under this name.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/amelanchier-arborea · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush
- Family: Rosaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 7 m; spread 4 m
- Growth: Medium growth
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Moist, well-drained, acid to neutral soil; tolerates clay, sand and alkaline sites
- Native range: Eastern North America from New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario south to Florida and the Gulf Coast and west to Minnesota and Texas.

**Benefits:** Flowers, Edible, Birds, Wildlife, Pollinators, Fall color, Fits small spaces, Holds soil

**Good for:** Small yard, Street tree, Food, Hedgerow

**Watch out for:** Pest prone, Messy fruit

## Care

Transplants well; plant in sun or part shade in moist, well-drained soil and mulch to keep roots cool. Water in dry spells, especially the first two years, as it drops leaves in drought. Prune after flowering to remove suckers. Cedar-apple rust, fire blight, leaf miners and sawflies occur but are seldom serious.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native to Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.); United States (Native across the eastern US from Minnesota and Maine to Texas and Florida (more than 15 states).)
- **Recommended:** Denver, CO, United States (On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Atlanta, GA, United States (On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/amelanchier-arborea/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/downy-serviceberry/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/AMAR3
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier_arborea