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.