Growth form: Serviceberry is a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, typically 15 to 25 feet tall, with deciduous leaves and showy, fragrant white flowers.
Leaves, twigs, and bark: Leaves of serviceberry tree are simple, alternate, and entire, typically 1to 3 inches long, with oval or elliptical shape. In fall, leaves turn a orange to red.. Twigs are slender and red to brown. Bark is grayish-brown.
Leaves of Service berry showing alternate leaf arrangement, entire margins, and oval shape. (Photos from Wikimedia Commons)
Flowers: Serviceberry blooms from March to April. Flowers are showy, white and fragrant, often with 5 petals. These flowers appear in clusters shortly before blooming..
White flowers of Serviceberry Tree (Creative Commons Image)
Fruits: The flowers produce small red berries, by the end of the summer, the red berries turn a deep purple color which look similar to blueberries.
Clusters of red berries on Serviceberry Tree. (Creative Commons Image)
Native range and habitat: Serviceberry is native to nutrient-rich, moist and dry forests, limestone glades, stream banks, and rocky bluffs throughout eastern and south-central North America. Its natural range extends from New York, south to Florida, and west to Texas. In Virginia, serviceberry tree occurs as a native tree or shrub in all counties of the state.
Distribution of Serviceberry Tree across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
Plant Family: Describe plant family characteristics and related species...
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Edible and Medicinal Uses: The fruits are often used to make foods such as jams and pies. The tree was named for it's ability to bloom after the ground thawed during the winter.
Wildlife: Serviceberry tree fruits are an important food source for many birds and many mammals. Flowers also are a food source for bird and insect pollinators.
Gardens and Landscaping: Serviceberry trees are widely used in gardening to provide a shrub border along ponds and other small bodies of water.
Campus Specimens - Serviceberry Trees
State and national champions? The largest Serviceberry in the country is located in Pochantas, WV. This national champion has a trunk circumference of 102 inches, height of 44 feet, and crown spread of 56 feet. Resulting in a total of 160 points. The Virginia state champion Serviceberry tree is located in Tazewell, VA, and has a circumference of 104 inches, height of 46 feet, and crown spread of 43 feet, for a total of 161 points.
At Radford University, five serviceberry trees can be found on campus behind Muse Hall (highlighted circle below).
Tree #143
Trunk circumference: 9.9 inches
Tree height: 17.5 feet
Crown spread: 19.8 feet x 19.04 feet Average = 19.4 feet
Total points:
Tree #144
Trunk circumference: 26 inches
Tree height: 17.3 feet
Crown spread: 18.03 feet x 19.6 feet Average crown spread = 18.8 feet
Total points:
Tree #145
Trunk circumference: 29.5 inches
Tree height: 18.3 feet
Crown spread: 14.5 feet x 21.5 feet Average crown spread = 18 feet
Total points:
Tree #147
Trunk circumference: 36 inches
Tree height: 18.0 feet
Crown spread: 19.5 feet x 18.5 feet Average crown spread = 19 feet
Total points:
Tree #148
Trunk circumference: 11.5 inches
Tree height: 15.7 feet
Crown spread: 15.5 feet x 17.3 feet Average crown spread = 32.8 feet
Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. (2019). Serviceberry Tree Fact Sheet, Virginia Tech Dendrology. dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/factsheets.cfm
Page created by: Samantha Houck, Radford University (2019).