Amelanchier stolonifera
| Amelanchier stolonifera | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Amelanchier stolonifera (common name: quebec berry)
Propagation: Seed - it is best harvested 'green', when the seed is fully formed but before the seed coat has hardened, and then sown immediately in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. If stored seed is obtained early enough in the autumn, it can be given 4 weeks warm stratification before being left out in the winter and it should then germinate in the spring. Otherwise seed can be very slow to germinate, perhaps taking 18 months or more. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a sheltered outdoor position, planting them out once they are 20cm or more tall.
If there is sufficient seed it is best to sow it thinly in an outdoor seedbed[1][2]. Grow the seedlings on for two years in the seedbed before planting them out into their permanent positions during the winter.
Layering in spring - takes 18 months[1].
Division of suckers in late winter. The suckers need to have been growing for 2 years before you dig them up, otherwise they will not have formed roots. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions if required.
Cultivation: Dislikes calcareous soils[3]. Prefers a rich loamy soil in a sunny position or semi-shade[4][5] but thrives in any soil that is not too water-logged[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates dry soils[5].
All members of this genus have edible fruits and, whilst this is dry and uninteresting in some species, in many others it is sweet and juicy. Many of the species have potential for use in the garden as edible ornamentals. The main draw-back to this genus is that birds adore the fruit and will often completely strip a tree before it is fully ripe[K].
Produces suckers quite freely, the plant forms thickets. When propagated by these suckers, the new plants can begin producing a crop of fruit in their second year[K].
The sub-species A. stolonifera micropetala was seen growing in dappled shade at Hilliers Arboretum in early April 1999. It was about 2 metres tall, suckering freely with some suckers more than 50cm from the parent plant, and flowering freely[K].
Hybridizes with A. arborea, A. bartramiana, A. laevis and A. sanguinea. Grafting onto seedlings of A. lamarckii or Sorbus aucuparia is sometimes practised in order to avoid the potential problem of hybridizing[4].
Range: Eastern N. America
Habitat: Dry acid rocky or sandy open habitats[6].
Edibility: Edible fruit - raw or cooked[7][8][9]. Sweet and juicy with a good flavour that has a hint of apple[4][3][10][K]. The plant usually yields very well in Britain and the well-flavoured fruit means that it has excellent potential as a commercial crop[K] The fruit is rich in iron and copper[11].
Medicinal: The root bark has been used as a tonic[12].
Pollinators: Bees
Notes: We can supply this from 1999 from our own plants.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: A. spicata. non (Lam.)K.Koch.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.