Serviceberry (Amelanchier species)

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More names for this plant

Anishinaabemowin: Gozigwaakomin or Ozigwaakomin (serviceberry); Gozigwaakominagaawanzh or Ozigwaakominaganzh (serviceberry bush)

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. However, complete translations were not available.

Latin (or scientific name): Amelanchier (Amelanchier is the name of a genus with many species, several of which live in Minnesota.)

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

More common names: Juneberry, Saskatoon berry

Page contents

About the serviceberry

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

Serviceberry tree in a landscaped setting with lots of red and magenta fruit.
Common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) with fruit in a landscaped setting.
June 29, 2022, Olmsted County, Minnesota
Photo © hummingbirdwindsor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About the serviceberry

  • Serviceberries are large, woody shrubs that grow up to twenty-five feet tall. 
  • There are twenty different species of serviceberries. 
  • Their white flowers bloom in spring, and in June they produce edible, dark purple berries. 
  • In the fall, its leaves turn bright colors, often red or yellow. 
  • In Minnesota serviceberries grow in the eastern half of the state. 
  • Folklore suggests that serviceberries get their name from funeral services. This is because by the time the ground thaws enough for burials, serviceberry flowers are in bloom.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen. The general guidance here applies to serviceberries generally and is not limited to a particular species.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing serviceberry phenology. However, this page does not instruct observers on how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

Buds of a serviceberry twig. These have a downy-texture toward the tip of each bud.
Serviceberry bud is breaking open, revealing new growth that will unfold
Buds have broken open. The new growth is pink in color with white down. The forms are complex and aren't yet easy to recognize as leaves or flower buds.
New growth of the serviceberry. Some leaves are bright green, others are dark red.
Branch with pale pink flower buds that are closed. The leaves have both greenish and reddish tones.
Serviceberry plant in full flower, sited in a landscaped setting near a building.
Close-up photo of open flowers. Five white petals surround a yellow center.
Flowers in this photo are fading and petals have fallen off. A bee flies by, as if to land.
Fruit of the serviceberry ar small and round. Most of these fruit are green (unripe) and a few have reddened slightly as they ripen.
Bough of a serviceberry plant is in the foreground. Hanging from the branch are many fruits, varying in color from green to red to dark violet.
Close-up photo of a cluster of six fruit. They are deep blue in color and round. Similar to a blueberry, star-shaped remnants from the flower are at one end of the berry, opposite of their attachment to the plant.
Serviceberry leaves turn color in autumn and this leaf is bright yellow. On the stem one can also see small buds where next year's growth will form.
Dormant buds on a serviceberry twig are reddish in color.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Itasca County

Flowering of downy juneberry (Amelanchier arborea)

  • Earliest: April 25 (occurred in 2010)
  • Average: May 7
  • Latest: May 19 (occurred in 2013)
Scatterplot showing downy juneberry phenology observations in Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

Western juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Smooth juneberry (Amelanchier laevis) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Creeping or spicate serviceberry (Amelanchier spicata) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) in Nature's Notebook

Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) fact sheet by US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

 

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Times of year

Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist