Serviceberry & Waterleaf

We have just added a couple new species to our ever-growing inventory: serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and western waterleaf (Hydrophyllum occidentale). Serviceberry is a well-known and familiar species, however, western waterleaf is not as well known, but is well-deserving to be in your native plant portfolio. Below are descriptions of these species, with links to purchase seed packets.

Serviceberry

This showy shrub or small tree goes by many different common names, including: Pacific serviceberry, western serviceberry, saskatoon, saskatoon berry, saskatoon serviceberry, western shadbush, western juneberry, and more. No matter what name you call it, this is a must-have species throughout its natural range, for native plant gardens, habitat restoration projects, hedges, wildlife plantings, pollinator gardens and more. Native to North America, serviceberry grows in Alaska, across most of western Canada, and in the western and north-central United States. In the Klamath-Siskiyou region it can be found growing along riparian areas and moist locations on the valley floor, and as you go up in elevation it can be found in dry chaparral, oak or madrone woodlands, in the understory of mixed conifer forests, along rocky and sunny ridgelines, and in open areas at high elevations. It is an adaptable species that can grow from sea level up to mountaintops.

Serviceberry can put on quite the show in early summer when it is adorned with fragrant, 1″ wide white flowers with five petals that look similar to the flowers on an apple tree, and serviceberry is in the same plant family as apples, the rose (Roseaceae) plant family. Serviceberry flowers in late spring to early summer, depending on elevation.

Serviceberry is an easy going, easy-to-grow species as long as it is protected from deer browse. It can grow in a wide variety of soil types and is fairly drought resistant once established, but it may need some supplemental water off of riparian areas in inland valley habitats. Likewise, at lower elevations it may grow better with some shade to part shade, and at mid to high elevations it will enjoy full sun. With enough water at lower elevations, however, it will grow well in full sun, and more sun does produce more fruit.

Pollinators will enjoy the showy serviceberry flowers as much as you do! They are a pollinator powerhouse, with many species of bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and pollinating flies visiting the flowers for pollen and nectar. Serviceberry are also larval host plants for the pale tiger swallowtail, two-tailed swallowtail, western tiger swallowtail, and other butterflies and moths.

In summer those who grow serviceberries are rewarded with edible, nutritious, blueberry-like fruit, which is technically a pome, that many consider to be quite tasty, to downright delicious, depending on the plant and growing conditions. The purple “berries” are eaten fresh, dried, or made into a wide variety of jams, pies, wine, preserves, pemmican, and more. The berries are also an important food source for many different species of birds and animals.

Depending on elevation and soil conditions, serviceberry will grow between 5-30′ tall and 5-10′ wide. It typically has a rounded form, but it can grow more upright, especially in shady areas; however, it can be pruned as needed for shaping or height control, and it benefits from occasional pruning. It resprouts easily after being top-killed in wildfire. It does sucker, but it doesn’t spread vigorously.

Serviceberry leaves are green, elliptic to round shaped, with toothed/serrate leaf margins. It can have lovely yellow and golden fall color, and is a deciduous shrub, so it goes dormant in the winter after losing its leaves.

Unfortunately, serviceberry, for all its lovely attributes, is susceptible to cedar-apple rust, which is transmitted by fungus spores from nearby cedar or junipers trees. This fungal “rust” causes bright orange spots on the plant, which can sometimes cover the fruit and make it inedible. The best way to prevent cedar-apple rust is to avoid planting serviceberries near cedar or juniper trees, if you can. It generally is just a cosmetic issue, and it doesn’t typically kill the plant, but it is a bummer if the fruit crop is ruined by the rust every year.

Amelanchier alnifolia – Serviceberry

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) seed packets contain approximately 50 seeds per packet.

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Western waterleaf

Western waterleaf is a beloved wildflower of the American West with a range that extends from California, to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. It is a perennial wildflower in the waterleaf (Hydrophyllaceae) plant family that has a subtle beauty. Growing from a slowly spreading rhizome, western waterleaf has long, compound green leaves with lobed leaflets. The dense flower clusters (cymes) rise above the leaves on an erect stem and are comprised of white to lavender, bell-shaped individual flowers that are up to a centimeter wide. The flowers have five petals, a split style and five purple stamens that protrude beyond the petals. In flower, western waterleaf will grow 1-2′ tall. Bloom time varies depending on elevation, but generally starts in April at lower elevations, and continues into July at higher elevations. The stems will lower as the flowers fade and produce spherical capsules that contain two brown seeds. Western waterleaf’s reproduction is primarily sexual, through seeds, but they can also propagate vegetatively through rhizomes.

Hydrophyllum is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the Hydrophyllaceae plant family. There are ten species of Hydrophyllum, and they are all native to North America. The generic epithet Hydrophyllum (Hydro = water and phyllum = leaf) in Greek means “waterleaf,” which has remained the common name for the species in this genus, including western waterleaf. Most of the species in this genus are found in areas of mesic or moist soil, and the same is predominantly true for western waterleaf as well, although it may have more drought tolerance than some of the other species in this genus. It is also thought that the name can also come from the pale spotting that sometimes occurs on the leaves, that are reminiscent of water drops.

Western waterleaf grows in a variety of habitats from low to high elevations, including moist pockets in oak woodlands, chaparral slopes, mixed conifer forests, pine forest, mountain meadows, streambanks, and it can tolerate serpentine soils. It is most often found in shaded or partly shaded areas, but it can grow in full sun, and will explode with abundant growth and flowers following wildfire.

This species is very attractive to a wide variety of pollinators.

Hydrophyllum occidentale – Western waterleaf

Western waterleaf (Hydrophyllum occidentale) seed packets contain approximately 50 seeds per packet.

Western Waterleaf Seed Germination Instructions

No pretreatment is necessary for western waterleaf seeds. You can sow the seeds outside in fall to early spring.

Please note: The seeds of western waterleaf don’t store for long, so sow them within the first year of purchase for best germination results.