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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion

Downy serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea

Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKrzysztof Golik ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.

Native fruiting understory tree; cedar-serviceberry rust and browsing can affect appearance.

Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
15–25
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
15–25
BLOOM SEASON
Early spring
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Get to know this plant.

Identification clue 1

Fine teeth on oval leaves

Identification clue 2

White spring flowers with narrow petals

Identification clue 3

Small fruits ripen purple

Read the leaves

Look for a fine-toothed oval blade; young downy serviceberry leaves have conspicuous hairs. Leaves alone rarely resolve serviceberry hybrids.

More growing details

Read the bark

Smooth gray bark develops darker vertical markings and shallow furrows.

Fruit & seed

Small apple-like fruits follow the spring flowers; examine the little persistent star at their tip.

Winter character

Slender pointed buds and a graceful small-tree framework remain after leaf fall.

Origin & place

The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.

Compare with Other serviceberries

Compare hairiness during spring flowering and verify origin; species and hybrids overlap.

WNC Notes

Native fruiting understory tree; cedar-serviceberry rust and browsing can affect appearance.

Sun Exposure

Full sun–part shade

MATURE HEIGHT (FT)

15–25

MATURE WIDTH (FT)

15–25

BLOOM SEASON

Early spring

BLOOM COLOR

White

FALL / WINTER COLOR

Yellow-orange-red

Wet-Soil Tolerance

Low–moderate

Drought Tolerance

Moderate

LOOK CLOSELY

Two views, a closer look.

Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.

Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.
Leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeKrzysztof Golik ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Gray fissured mature bark. — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.
Gray fissured mature bark. — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadepeverdonk ↗ · CC BY 2.0
Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.

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