Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

NPS Photo

NPS Photo by Lee Ferguson

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Utah Serviceberry

Amelanchier utahensis

Family: Rosaceae – Rose Family

Shrubs; 1.65' to 13.2' (0.5 to 4 m) tall; pinkish bark

Leaves: alternate; simple; not lobed; hairy; 0.4” to 1.08” (10 to 27 mm) long, 0.24” to 1.08” (6 to 27 mm) wide

Flowers: 5 white petals which are showy and fragrant; 5 sepals; bisexual, rarely unisexual; 10 to numerous stamens; 1 pistil; radially symmetrical; cup-like base to flower; perfect; petals 0.21” to 0.4” (5.2 to 10 mm) long, 0.072” to 0.168” (1.8 to 4.2 mm) wide

Pollinators: bees; self-fertile

Fruits: pome (outside fleshy, many seeded fruit)

Family: fruit provides food for wildlife. Some plants in this family are important wildlife browse, but some have a tendency to accumulate cyanide.

Blooms in Arches National Park: March, April, May

Habitat in Arches National Park: riparian areas, dry slopes, desert shrub, grassland and pinyon-juniper communities

Location seen: Park Avenue , park road miles 5 to 8 - Petrified Dunes area, Windows trail, Tower Arch

Other: The genus name, “Amelanchier”, is probably from an old French common name. The species name, “utahensis”, means “of or from Utah” referring to the first recorded specimen which was from Washington County, Utah.

The family is large and complex and some botanists think it should be divided into more than 1 family. The family is held together by the presence of the hypanthium (a cup-shaped structure on which the calyx, corolla, and often the stamens are inserted).