Amelanchier alnifolia

Taxobox
name = "Amelanchier alnifolia"

---

image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Rosales
familia = Rosaceae
subfamilia = Maloideae
genus = "Amelanchier"
species = "A. alnifolia"
binomial = "Amelanchier alnifolia"
binomial_authority = (Nutt.) Nutt.

"Amelanchier alnifolia" (Saskatoonberry, Saskatoon, Serviceberry or Juneberry) is native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north central United States. It grows from sea level in the north of the range, up to 2,600 m altitude in California and 3,400 m in the Rocky Mountains.Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?2870 "Amelanchier alnifolia"] ] Plants of British Columbia: [http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Amelanchier+alnifolia "Amelanchier alnifolia"] ] Jepson Flora: [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Amelanchier+alnifolia "Amelanchier alnifolia"] ]

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow to 1–8 m (rarely to 10 m) in height. Its growth form spans from suckering and forming colonies to clumped. The leaves are oval to nearly circular, 2-5 cm long and 1–4.5 cm broad, with margins dentate mostly above the middle and a 0.5–2 cm petiole. The flowers are white, about 2-3 cm across; they appear on racemes of 3–20 together in early spring while the new leaves are still expanding. The fruit is a small purple pome 5-15 mm diameter, ripening in early summer.

There are three varieties:University of Maine: [http://biology.umaine.edu/Amelanchier/Species.html "Amelanchier" list of taxa] ]
*"Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "alnifolia". Northeastern part of the species' range.University of Maine: [http://biology.umaine.edu/Amelanchier/aln.html "Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "alnifolia"] ]
*"Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "pumila" (Nutt.) A.Nelson. Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada.Jepson Flora: [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6677,6686,6687,6688 "Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "pumila" ] ] University of Maine: [http://biology.umaine.edu/Amelanchier/pum.html "Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "pumila" ] ]
*"Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "semiintergrifolia" (Hook.) C.L.Hitchc. Pacific coastal regions, Alaska to northwestern California.Jepson Flora: [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6677,6686,6687,6689 "Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "semiintergrifolia"] ] University of Maine: [http://biology.umaine.edu/Amelanchier/sem.html "Amelanchier alnifolia" var. "semiintergrifolia"] ]

Etymology

The name derives from the Cree inanimate noun misâskwatômina ("misâskwatômin" "NI sg" saskatoonberry, "misâskwatômina" "NI pl" saskatoonberries). The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after this plant.

Cultivation and uses

Seedlings are planted with 13-20 ft (4-6 m) between rows and 1.5-3 ft (0.5-1 m) between plants. An individual bush may bear fruit 30 or more years. [Introduction to Saskatoons [http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_introduction_saskatoons.htm] ]

Saskatoons are adaptable to most soil types with exception of poorly drained or heavy clay soils lacking organic matter. Shallow soils should be avoided, especially if there is a high or erratic water table. Winter hardiness is exceptional but frost can damage blooms as late as May. Large amounts of sunshine are needed for fruit ripening. [St-Pierre, R. G. [http://www.prairie-elements.ca/saskatoons.html Growing Saskatoons - A Manual For Orchardists] ] [Introduction to Saskatoons [http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_introduction_saskatoons.htm] ]

Sweet in taste, the fruits have long been eaten by Canada's Aboriginal people as pemmican, a preparation of dried meat to which Saskatoon berries are added as flavor and preservative. They are also often used in pies, jams, wines, cider, beers and sugar-infused berries similar to dried cranberries used for cereals, trail mix and snack foods.Mazza G (2005). Compositional and functional properties of saskatoon berry and blueberry. "Int. J. Fruit Sci." 5 (3):99-118.] [ [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-516.html Mazza G, Davidson CG. Saskatoon berry: A fruit crop for the prairies. p. 516-519. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.), New crops. Wiley, New York, 1993.] ] [ [http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/fruit/bld01s00.html Government of Manitoba - Ministry of Agriculture: Saskatoon Berries] ] [ [http://www.prairie-elements.ca/saskatoons.html St-Pierre RG. Growing saskatoons - a manual for orchardists] ]

In 2004, the British Food Standards Agency suspended Saskatoon berries from retail sales pending safety testing, a ban that was eventually lifted after pressure from the European Union. [British Food Standards Authority: [http://www.acnfp.gov.uk/assess/simproc/saskatoonberries Saskatoon Berries] ] [Johnson, B. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/12/23/do2301.xml We banned a berry – and it took Brussels to stop us being so silly] . "The Telegraph" 2004-12-23 ] [Anon. [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/06/03/sask_berry040603.html Britain plucks Saskatoon berries from store shelves] . "CBC News" 2004-06-07.]

Nutrients and potential health benefits

Saskatoon berries contain significant Daily Value amounts of total dietary fiber, vitamins B2 (riboflavin) and biotin, and the essential minerals, iron and manganese, a nutrient profile similar to the content of blueberries.

Notable for polyphenol antioxidants also similar in composition to blueberries, Saskatoons have total phenolics of 452 mg per 100 g (average of Smoky and Northline cultivars), flavonols (61 mg) and anthocyanins (178 mg), although others have found the phenolic values to be either lower in the Smoky cultivar [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17994693 Ozga JA, Saeed A, Wismer W, Reinecke DM. Characterization of cyanidin- and quercetin-derived flavonoids and other phenolics in mature saskatoon fruits (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.). J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Dec 12;55(25):10414-24.] ] or higher. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18052240 Hosseinian FS, Beta T. Saskatoon and wild blueberries have higher anthocyanin contents than other Manitoba berries. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Dec 26;55(26):10832-8.] ] Quercetin, cyanidin, delphinidin, pelargonidin, petunidin, peonidin, and malvidin were polyphenols present in Saskatoon berries. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18066116 Bakowska-Barczak AM, Marianchuk M, Kolodziejczyk P. Survey of bioactive components in Western Canadian berries. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Nov;85(11):1139-52.] ]

Particularly for Saskatoon phenolics, inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes involved in mechanisms of inflammation and pain have been demonstrated in vitro. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15997850 Adhikari DP, Francis JA, Schutzki RE, Chandra A, Nair MG. Quantification and characterisation of cyclo-oxygenase and lipid peroxidation inhibitory anthocyanins in fruits of Amelanchier. Phytochem Anal. 2005 May-Jun;16(3):175-80.] ]

Such polyphenol contents are thought to provide possible health protection against several human diseases such as those below. [ [http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=18944&zoneid=201 Gross PM. Scientists zero in on health benefits of berry pigments, "Natural Products Information Center", July 2007] ] Currently, however, there is insufficient evidence to confirm these effects in humans.
* cancer
* cardiovascular disease
* diabetes
* allergies
* age-related cognitive decline

References