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  • From: "Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Southern serviceberries
  • Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:53:39 -0700

Title: Re: [NAFEX] Southern serviceberries
No argument there.  We have at least two species native to Oregon, A. alnifolia and A. florida, and probably a third, and except for growth habit, the differences aren't particularly obvious.  They are really easy to find at bloom time, though.  They bloom in a niche between other things and you can pick them out in the landscape easily.  
   The main thing in this case is to find good resistant forms that might be used for breeding and selection.   That needs to be done everywhere, possibly with some urgency.   Sam B.'s posting about Mr. Lukes column led me to write to him and he said there is a witch's broom disease attacking Amelanchier in Wisconsin.  From what he described, it sounds like there could be something very serious going on that might spread south and east.  It might be good to start watching Amelanchier everywhere, not only for signs of the disease, but for resistant types, in case there is a situation developing similar to the blight on American chestnuts.

   


Everything I read indicates that identifying/speciating the Amelanchiers is
difficult, and it may be splitting hairs - or, maybe there's just a
division of opinion, but I was under the impression that "Jennybelle" was a
selection from A.obovata - but if you get down to it, it's purely academic
as to what specific epithet you attach to it.

I've got "Jennybelle" in my plantings, and while it's still quite young -
has only fruited for the past 3 years - I'm not overly impressed with
it.  Certainly less productive than the A.laevis trees in town at the
library, fruits are not any larger than A.laevis, and I don't think they're
as tasty as the A.laevis.

Ran across some landscape plantings of serviceberries - I'm presuming some
A.X grandiflora selection - around a shopping mall & Wendy's restaurant in
Clarksville, TN, a couple of weeks back, and I was quite impressed with the
size of the fruits - easily 2X, maybe 3X the size of any of the
A.alnifolias, A.laevis, or "Jennybelle" - and heavier production than what
I've experienced with Jennybelle.  No evidence of rust on leaves, branches,
or fruits.




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