Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Tom McCall Preserve, Columbia Gorge, OR 4/2013.

Also known as “Saskatoon berry”, “juneberry”, and “shadberry.” The berries of this shrub or small tree were an important staple of the Native Americans, who made pemmican by combining the berries with animal fat or meat (buffalo or venison) or pounded the dried berries into cakes, which would allow them to keep through the winter. The mealy berries, which resemble blueberries, are eaten by birds; the leaves and twigs by elk and deer. The early flowers are fragrant, the leaves are notched and resemble those of an alder (the Latin alnifolia means “alder-like).