Saskatoon berry
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| iAmelanchier alnifolia | ||||||||||||||||
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| Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt. |
The Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) or Juneberry, is a serviceberry native to the Canadian prairie provinces, Canada's Northwest and Yukon Territories, British Columbia, and parts of Alaska and the northwestern and northcentral United States. It belongs to the rose family. It is a shrub or small tree reaching 4 m tall, densely twiggy with reddish brown twigs. The leaves are oval to often nearly circular, 3-5 cm long, with small teeth on the tip end. Large numbers of white flowers, about 2-3 cm across, appear in early spring while the new leaves are still growing. The small purple berries, actually pomes, ripen in June and July. The berries are a bit smaller than blueberries and they are delightfully sweet. This large perennial shrub may grow up to 5 meters in height; it is often found in clusters.
The name derives from the Cree inanimate noun misâskwatômina (misâskwatômin NI sg saskatoonberry, misâskwatômina NI pl saskatoonberries). The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after this plant.
The edible berry has been eaten since time immemorial by Canada's native peoples; the food pemmican was flavoured by serviceberry fruits in combination with dried meats. They are now also often made into several types of foodstuffs, including pies, jams, wines, cider, and beers.
The stems were also made into arrow shafts.
