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Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

Interesting & key characteristics:

Growth rate: 12” - 24” per year

Height: from a shrub up to 30 feet tall tree

Fruit: small, dark red, berrylike clusters

Leaves: deciduous, oval 2-4” long

Flowers: showy white petals in drooping clusters

Bark: gray and smooth when young

 

Unique benefits (how it helps our planet):

Besides being a great human snack, there are at least 35 species of birds that eat the fruit and 11 species of mammals that either eat the fruit or browse the twigs and leaves. 

Sources: Missouri Conservation Trees and Shrubs, The Missouri Conservation Department; Fifty Common Trees of Missouri

 

The Story Behind the Tree:

The serviceberry grows by Falcon Falls, the water feature on the west side of Forsyth’s campus. Originally, there were three serviceberry seedlings planted in 2014. However, they were not adequately protected and two were lost before a protective barrier was created for the third one that still grows today. Mr. Schimmelpfennig, former Forsyth Early Childhood Specialist, has a special connection with this tree and hopes to taste the fruit one day.

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