• Photo of Amelanchier arborea var. laevis (Amelanchier arborea var. laeviss)

Plant Profile: Amelanchier arborea var. laevis

Names

Allegheny Serviceberry, Serviceberry, Smooth-leaved serviceeberry

  • Photo of Amelanchier arborea var. laevis (Amelanchier arborea var. laeviss)

Phonetic Spelling:am-eh-LAN-kee-er ar-BOR-ee-ah vah-RYE-eh-tee LYE-viss

Genus:Amelanchier

Species:arborea

Family:Rosaceae

The Allegheny serviceberry is a small tree or tall shrub characterized by multiple trunks, often found in thickets, open woodlands, sheltered slopes, and along the edges of forests. While it is relatively rare, it can reach heights of up to 40 feet.

This plant exhibits irregular branching patterns.

It thrives in average, medium, well-drained soil and prefers full sun to partial shade. Although it can adapt to a variety of soil types, it flourishes best in moist, well-drained loamy soils.

Moderately resistant to deer damage, the Allegheny serviceberry serves as a host for the Red-Spotted Purple and Viceroy butterflies. Its blossoms attract butterflies and various insects for nectar, while its fruits are consumed by songbirds, ruffed grouse, and both small and large mammals.

In terms of pests and diseases, the Allegheny serviceberry is generally resilient, facing no significant insect or disease threats. However, it may occasionally experience cosmetic issues such as rust, leaf spot, fire blight, powdery mildew, and canker, which typically do not harm the plant.

For further details on Amelanchier arborea, please refer to additional resources.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Feature Summary

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Image Gallery

Tags

#fragrant
#red
#white
#deciduous
#fall color
#full sun tolerant
#orange
#white flowers
#orange leaves
#native tree
#red leaves
#native shrub
#slopes
#understory tree
#flowering tree
#air pollution tolerant
#street tree
#hedges
#cpp
#deer resistant
#small and large mammals
#native garden
#edible fruits
#screening
#larval host plant
#bird friendly
#butterfly friendly
#partial shade tolerant
#woodlands
#red-spotted purple butterfly
#viceroy butterflies

Similar Plants

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Feature Summary

Attributes
Eastern North America
AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
It is a host plant for the Red-Spotted Purple and Viceroy butterflies. Butterflies and other insects nectar at the blooms. Its fruit is eaten by songbirds, ruffled grouse and both small and large mammals.
no serious insect or disease problems, moderaltly resistant to deer damage
The berries are often used in jams, jellies and pies.
Perennial
Woody
Stem Cutting
Root Cutting
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Wildlife Food Source
Attracts Pollinators
Attractive Flowers
Fruit
The flowers give way to small, round, edible berries which ripen to dark purplish-black in June (hence the sometimes common name of Juneberry) and resemble blueberries in size, color and taste. The berries are often used in jams, jellies and pies.
Berry
Pome
Red/Burgundy
Purple/Lavender
Black
Flowers
The Allegheny serviceberry features showy, 5-petaled, slightly fragrant, white flowers in drooping clusters which appear in early spring (April) before the leaves. The flowers give way to small, round, edible berries.
4-5 petals/rays
Leaves
Finely-toothed leaves with a bronze-purple tint in spring, maturing to dark green, turning red-orange in fall.
Orange
Red/Burgundy
Elliptical
Ovate
Bark
The bark of this tree is smooth when young. As the tree ages, the bark develops rough long ridges and furrows.
Dark Gray
Light Gray
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Tree
Native Plant
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Rounded
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Mountains
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Clay
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Landscape
Edible Garden
Butterfly Garden
Pollinator Garden
Native Garden
Border
Hedge
Accent
Small groups
Flowering Tree
Small Tree
Understory Tree
Patio
Recreational Play Area
Woodland
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Slope/Bank
Coastal
Pond
Butterflies
Pollinators
Songbirds

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Attributes

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Country Or Region Of Origin

Eastern North America

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Distribution

AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Wildlife Value

It is a host plant for the Red-Spotted Purple and Viceroy butterflies. Butterflies and other insects nectar at the blooms. Its fruit is eaten by songbirds, ruffled grouse and both small and large mammals.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)

no serious insect or disease problems, moderaltly resistant to deer damage

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Edibility

The berries are often used in jams, jellies and pies.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Fruit

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Fruit Description

The flowers give way to small, round, edible berries which ripen to dark purplish-black in June (hence the sometimes common name of Juneberry) and resemble blueberries in size, color and taste. The berries are often used in jams, jellies and pies.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Fruit Color

grass
Black
grass
Purple/Lavender
grass
Red/Burgundy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Fruit Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Flowers

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Description

The Allegheny serviceberry features showy, 5-petaled, slightly fragrant, white flowers in drooping clusters which appear in early spring (April) before the leaves. The flowers give way to small, round, edible berries.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Color

filter_vintage
White

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Leaves

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Leaf Description

Finely-toothed leaves with a bronze-purple tint in spring, maturing to dark green, turning red-orange in fall.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Orange
spa
Red/Burgundy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Bark

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Bark Description

The bark of this tree is smooth when young. As the tree ages, the bark develops rough long ridges and furrows.

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Bark Color

grass
Dark Gray
grass
Light Gray

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Surface/Attachment

Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Whole Plant Traits

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Cultural Conditions

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Stem

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis Landscape

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Amelanchier arborea var. laevis: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees