Amelanchier
AMELANCHIER ALNIFOLIA.--Dwarf June Berry. N.W. America, 1888. This
is a shrub of great beauty, growing about 8 feet high, and a native of
the mountains from British America to California. This differs from A.
canadensis in having much larger and more brilliant-tinted fruit, and
in its shorter and more compact flower racemes. The shape of the
leaves cannot be depended on as a point of recognition, those before
me, colle
ted in the native habitat of the plant, differing to a wide
extent in size and shape, some being coarsely serrated while others
are almost entire.
A. CANADENSIS.--June Berry. Canada, 1746. Unquestionably this is one
of the most beautiful and showy of early flowering trees. During the
month of April the profusion of snow-white flowers, with which even
young specimens are mantled, render the plant conspicuous for a long
way off, while in autumn the golden yellow of the dying-off foliage is
quite as remarkable. Being perfectly hardy, of free growth, and with
no particular desire for certain classes of soils, the June Berry
should be widely planted for ornamental effect. In this country it
attains to a height of 40 feet, and bears globose crimson fruit. There
are several varieties, including A. canadensis rotundifolia, A.
canadensis oblongifolia, and A. canadensis oligocarpa, the latter
being by some botanists ranked as a species.
A. VULGARIS.--Common Amelanchier. South of Europe, 1596. This is the
only European species, and grows about 16 feet in height. It has been
in cultivation in this country for nearly 300 years. Generally this
species flowers earlier than the American ones, has rounder and less
deeply serrated leaves, but the flowers are much alike. A. vulgaris
cretica, from Crete and Dalmatia, is readily distinguished by the soft
white hairs with which the under sides of the leaves are thickly
covered. To successfully cultivate the Amelanchiers a good rich soil
is a necessity, while shelter from cutting winds must be afforded if
the sheets of flowers are to be seen in their best form.