Editing Amelanchier (section)

==Uses and cultivation==
[[File:Amelanchier ovalis3.JPG|thumb|right|Fruit and leaves of ''Amelanchier ovalis'']]
The fruit of several species is safe to eat raw, possessing a mild sweetness strongly accented by the almond-like flavour of the seeds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Angier|first=Bradford|url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoedib00angi/page/200/mode/2up|title=Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=1974|isbn=0-8117-0616-8|location=Harrisburg, PA|pages=200|oclc=799792|author-link=Bradford Angier}}</ref> Selections from ''[[Amelanchier alnifolia]]'' have been chosen for fruit production, with several named [[cultivar]]s.<ref name=register>{{cite book|author=American Society for Horticultural Science|year=1997|title=The Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit & Nut Varieties, 3rd ed.|publisher=ASHS Press}}</ref> Other cultivars appear to be derived from hybridization between ''A. alnifolia'' and ''[[Amelanchier stolonifera|A. stolonifera]]''.<ref name=register/> Propagation is by seed, divisions, and grafting. Serviceberries graft so readily that grafts onto other genera, such as ''[[Crataegus]]'' and ''[[Sorbus]]'', are often successful.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

The fruit can be harvested for pies, muffins, jams, and wine.<ref name=":0" /> The [[saskatoon berry]] is harvested commercially. One version of the Native American food [[pemmican]] was flavored by serviceberry fruits in combination with minced dried meat and fat.<ref name=canada/><ref name="canada-pem">{{cite web |title=Pemmican |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pemmican |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=13 July 2024 |date=2024}}</ref>

The [[wood]] is brown, hard, close-grained, and heavy. The heartwood is reddish-brown, and the sapwood is lighter in color. It can be used for tool handles and fishing rods.  Native Americans used it for arrow shafts. Members of the [[Pit River Tribe]] would use the wood to create a sort of body armor, crafting it into a heavy robe or overcoat and corset armor worn during fighting.<ref>Merriam, C. Hart 1966 Ethnographic Notes on California Indian Tribes. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley (p. 222)</ref>

===Garden history===
Several species are very popular [[ornamental plant|ornamental shrubs]], grown for their flowers, bark, and fall color. All need similar conditions to grow well, requiring good drainage, air circulation (to discourage leaf diseases), watering during drought, and [[soil]] appropriate for the species.

[[George Washington]] planted specimens of ''Amelanchier'' on the grounds of his estate, [[Mount Vernon (plantation)|Mount Vernon]], in [[Virginia]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}