North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>]

Hi Chris,


I do not believe that there are any selections of downy serviceberry (A. 
arborea).  This is because A. arborea is the largest of the Amelanchier spp.  
Selections have, mostly, been made of: A. canadensis (which can get a bit 
large, but less so); A. laevis (which can get taller then A. canadensis); and 
A. stolonifera (a shrub).... and of course, in the northern region, A. 
alniflolia (some say 'Regent' does acceptably well in as warm as zone 6, but 
is not as good a fruit as the more popular Saskatoons; you might want to 
check with Cliff England on his experience with other A. alnifolia, and of 
course Lucky Pittman).  Many cultivars are either hybrids of A. canadensis x 
A. laevis x A. arborea - these hybrids are often called 'Apple Serviceberry', 
and most of these are of unconfirmed lineage due to the difficulty of 
taxonomy when it comes to Amelanchier spp. - same with Crataegus (hawthorn).  


I recommend you look into a good interspecific hybrid cultivar known for 
disease resistance, such as 'Autumn Brilliance', which is thought to be A. 
canadensis x A. laevis; or go with others such as 'Princess Diana' or 'Robin 
Hill'.  The cultivar 'Robin Hill', listed by Oikos as A. arborea, is really a 
hybrid 'Apple Serviceberry': either A. arborea x A. canadensis or, more 
likely, A. canadensis x A. laevis.


So, cvs 'Robin Hill', 'Autumn Brilliance', and 'Princess Diana' are often 
described as producing good quality fruit and exhibiting good disease 
resistance.  'Prince William' (likely straight A. canadensis) is sometimes 
said to be a bit disease-prone in regions.  


I found that cv. 'Success' (hybrid between two shrub Amelanchier: A. 
alnifolia x A. stolonifera) produces a large berry that tastes about the same 
as some of the ones listed above and exhibits great disease resistance.


I still haven't tried a true A. alnifolia.  I'm waiting for my cv. 'Regent' 
to bare.  I bet there is no real difference from species alone, just size.  I 
could be wrong. Some say A. laevis produces some of the best berries 
(flavor-wise).


When I first tasted the rose-water/apple taste of serviceberries, I was 
infatuated.  After a while, I lost interest to a degree - that doesn't mean I 
didn't eat 2 pounds of them yesterday and have a bread made with them in it.  
I'll miss them when they're gone until next June...


Steve; NJ 6b/7a



Downy Serviceberry is native to my area and is planted all over the
area as a landscaping plant that requires no care and is not
succeptable to the leaf die back. The downy serviceberry has tasty
sweet and juicy fruit that is slightly smaller and less productive
than the Canadian selections of Alnifolia.  I am curious if anyone has
made selections of the Downy Serviceberry (amelenchiar arborea) or has
done any breeding with the Downy Serviceberry for improved fruit
quality?

Chris Rice
zone 5a, Illinois, USA