Utah Serviceberry (Amelauchier utahensis) Other Names: Family: Rosaceae (Rose family) Description: may grow up to 15 feet tall. Stems are reddish-brown and often intricately branched. Elliptical leaves may be as long as 1½ inches and are coarsely serrated along their upper margins. Clustered, fragrant white flowers ⅜ - ¾ inches in diameter appear in late spring and turn into purplish berries in early autumn. Range: occurs throughout the western United States from California to Colorado, north into Montana, and south to Texas. It can be found throughout Colorado National Monument. Did you know: native people of the southwest gathered the berries of the Utah serviceberry for food. These berries were eaten fresh, dried for storage, or mixed with meat and fat and made into a high-energy, nutritious pemmican. Following the example of these native peoples, early settlers and explorers learned to make pemmican from the berries of this large shrub. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015