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Amelanchier arborea

(Michx. f.) Fern.

Downy Serviceberry

G5Secure Found in 37 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). Photo by Dan Wilder, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist.
Dan Wilder, CC0 1.0
common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). Photo by hr_dragonfly, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.
hr_dragonfly, CC BY 4.0
common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). Photo by Matt Rine, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist.
Matt Rine, CC0 1.0
common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). Photo by Jonah McDonald, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist.
Jonah McDonald, CC0 1.0
common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). Photo by Conway Hawn, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Conway Hawn, CC BY 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.952160
Element CodePDROS050T0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilyRosaceae
GenusAmelanchier
Other Common Names
Amélanchier arborescent (FR)
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2014b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 9. Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 713 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
This record is for the treatment of Amelanchier arborea in the narrow sense recognized in FNA (2014, vol. 9) which excludes A. arborea var. austromontana as indistinct from A. spicata. FNA also does not recognize A. arborea var. alabamensis as distinct from the typical species. The broader treatment recognized in Kartesz (1999) included var. austromontana and recognized var. alabamensis as distinct.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-07
Change Date2015-09-22
Edition Date2024-08-07
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Amelanchier arborea is a large shrub or small tree which is common throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. With a large range extent, more than 1,000 occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Amelanchier arborea is native to the eastern United States and southern Canada, from the eastern Great Plains to the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida (FNA 2014). It is also planted as an ornamental in Europe. Range extent was estimated to be 4.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 1,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Amelanchier arborea is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Amelanchier arborea grows in dry to moist woods, mesic mixed hardwoods and pine-hardwoods, fields, thickets, and roadsides (FNA 2014).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeShrubland/chaparralSavannaCropland/hedgerow
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
VermontS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
NebraskaS4Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
MichiganSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
AlabamaS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
DelawareSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
FloridaS3Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
KansasS3Yes
New JerseySNRYes
IowaSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MarylandSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
QuebecSNRYes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (37)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Arkansas (6)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Lost CovePisgah National Forest5,944
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (15)
AreaForestAcres
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Little Walker MountainJefferson National Forest9,818
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Patterson MountainJefferson National Forest4,865
Price MountainJefferson National Forest9,119
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (8)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cheat MountainMonongahela National Forest8,191
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2014b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 9. Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 713 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, PLANTS Database [USDA PLANTS]. http://plants.usda.gov/. Accessed 2015.