Saskatoon

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, alternate, simple
• Oval to round, tip rounded
• Base rounded or somewhat heart-shaped
• Veins conspicuous and straight, about 8–13 per side
• Fine hairs along the midvein on lower surface

Length

• 2–5 cm

Colour

• Upper surface dark green
• Lower surface paler

Margin

• Teeth coarse, somewhat incurved, on the upper two-thirds of the leaf
• 1–2 per vein, mostly toothless toward the petiole

Petiole

• 8–18 mm long

Buds

Form

• Narrowly ovoid
• Twisted, tapering to a point
• Pressed tightly against the twig
• About 5 scales
• Terminal bud much like the lateral buds
• Leaf scars with 3 large vein scars

Length

• 2–8 mm

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Twigs

Form

• Slender
• Ridges extend down from either side of the leaf scar
• Pith 5-pointed
• A neoformed shoot usually develops from one or more leaf axils below a terminal flower cluster
• Covered with hairs in spring, becoming hairless

Colour

• Reddish-brown to greyish-brown
• Hairs white

Flowers

Form

• Showy; 5 petals, fragrant
• In short, dense, erect clusters with hairy stalks at the tips of new leafy shoots
• At flowering time, leaves are unfolded but not fully grown
• Insect-pollinated

Length

• Clusters 2–3 cm
• Petals 6–10 mm
• Lower stalks longer than the upper ones

Colour

• White

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral timing

• Early in spring, before or with the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Globular, with 5–10 hard seeds
• Sweet, juicy, edible

Width

• 6–10 mm

Colour

• Dark purple to black
• Seeds brown

Timing

• Ripening in late July or early August

Seeds

Form

• Remain viable for some years at near-freezing temperatures
• Germinate after exposure to moist cool conditions

Seedlings

Form

• Cotyledons small, leafy
• Raised above the surface during germination

Bark

Form

• Smooth, conspicuously marked by a slightly twisted network of darker vertical lines
• With age becoming rough and scaly

Colour

• Brown to grey, tinged with red

Size

Height

• To 4 m

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Slender, very little taper

Crown

• Narrow, irregular

Habitat

Site

• On rocky ridges, along streams, and on forest edges
• In colonies