Leaves ovate-oval, oblong-obovate or rarely lanceolate or oblanceolate, acuminate and often abruptly short-pointed at apex, rounded, slightly cordate or occasionally cuneate at base, and finely serrate with acuminate teeth pointing forward; thickly coated when they unfold with silvery white tomentum, more or less densely pale pubescent below until midsummer, later becoming glabrous or nearly glabrous, yellowish green on the upper surface, paler on the lower surface, usually 2′—4′ long and 1′—2′ wide, southward sometimes up to 6′ in length, with a slender midrib, and thin primary veins; petioles slender, hoary-tomentose at first, usually becoming glabrous by midsummer, 1½′—2′ in length. Flowers ¼′—⅓′ long, appearing in early spring before or as the leaves unfold, on pedicels ¼′—½′ in length, in short nodding silky tomentose racemes, their bracts and bractlets linear-lanceolate, villose, bright red; calyx-tube campanulate, glabrous or densely hoary-tomentose, the lobes ovate, acuminate or nearly triangular and acute, glabrous or hoary-tomentose on the outer surface, tomentose on the inner surface, reflexed after the petals fall; petals oblong-obovate, rounded or nearly truncate at apex, about ⅙′ wide; summit of ovary glabrous. Fruit ripening in June and July, maroon-purple, dry and tasteless, about ¼′ in diameter.
A tree, occasionally 50°—70° high, with a trunk 12′—18′ in diameter, small erect and spreading branches forming a narrow round-topped head, and slender branchlets thickly covered when they first appear with long white hairs, soon glabrous, bright red-brown during their first year, becoming darker in their second season, and marked by numerous pale lenticels; usually smaller, and in the south Atlantic and Gulf states sometimes a shrub only a few feet tall. Winter-buds green tinged with brown, ½′—⅔′ long, about 1/12′ thick. Bark ¼′—½′ thick, dark ashy gray, divided by shallow fissures into longitudinal ridges covered by small persistent scales.
Distribution. At the north usually on dry exposed hills, on the borders of woods and in fence rows, southward often on the banks of streams and the borders of swamps; valley of the Penobscot River (Winn and Milford, Penobscot County) and Washington County (Pembroke, M. L. Fernald), Maine; Quebec (near Longueuil, Bro. M. Victorin); valley of the Connecticut River (central Vermont, southern New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut), and westward through western Massachusetts, New York, southern Ontario, southern Ohio, southern Michigan, and Indiana and Illinois; in central Iowa and southeastern Nebraska (Nemaha County, J. M. Bates), and southward to western Florida, southern Alabama, south central Mississippi, Louisiana westward to St. Landry Parish (near Opelousas, R. S. Cocks), northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma; rare and of small size in the south Atlantic coast-region; ascending the southern Appalachian Mountains to altitudes of about 2200°, not common; abundant and probably of its largest size in western New York and southern Michigan.
Occasionally cultivated, and the first of all the cultivated species to flower in the spring.
2. [Amelanchier laevis] Wieg. Service Berry.
Amelanchier canadensis of many authors, in part, not L.
Leaves ovate to elliptic or rarely lanceolate, acute or acuminate and often abruptly short-pointed at apex, rounded and occasionally slightly cordate or rarely cuneate at base, and sharply and coarsely serrate with subulate callous-tipped teeth, covered when they unfold with long matted pale hairs more abundant on the lower surface than on the upper surface, soon glabrous, dark red-brown until nearly half grown, and at maturity dark green and slightly glaucous above, paler below, usually 2′—2½′ long and 1′—1½′ wide, rarely 3′—3½′ long and not more than 1′ wide, with a thin midrib and primary veins, rarely deep green and lustrous above (f. nitida Wieg.); petioles slender, slightly villose at first, soon glabrous, ½′—1′ in length. Flowers ½′—¾′ long, appearing when the leaves are nearly half grown on pedicels ½′—1′ in length, in open few-flowered nodding racemes, becoming much lengthened before the fruit ripens, their bracts and bractlets linear-lanceolate, slightly villose, tinged with rose color; calyx-tube campanulate, glabrous, the lobes lanceolate or subulate, long-acuminate, glabrous on the outer surface, tomentose on the inner surface, usually reflexed before the petals fall; petals oblong-obovate, rounded at apex, about ⅙′ wide; summit of the ovary glabrous. Fruit ripening in June and July, obovoid to subglobose, usually rather broader than long, about ⅓′ in diameter, purple or nearly black, glaucous, sweet and succulent, on pedicels often 1½′—2′ in length.
A tree, sometimes 30°—40° high, often with a tall trunk 12′—18′ in diameter, small spreading branches forming a narrow round-topped head, and slender glabrous branchlets reddish brown when they first appear, rather darker during their first winter and dull grayish brown in their second season, and marked by small dark lenticels; at the north often a shrub sometimes only a few feet high. Winter-buds ½′ long, about 1/12′ thick, green tinged with red, the inner scales lanceolate, bright red above the middle, ciliate with silky white hairs, and sometimes 1′ long when fully grown. Bark ¼′—½′ thick, dark reddish brown, divided by shallow fissures into narrow longitudinal ridges and covered by small persistent scales. Wood heavy, exceedingly hard, strong, close-grained, dark brown sometimes tinged with red, with thick lighter-colored sapwood of 40—50 layers of annual growth; occasionally used for the handles of tools and other small implements.