Japanese name: ジューンベリー Scientific name:Amelanchier
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub to small tree that is also used as a fruit tree.
The group consists of about 33 species and is found mostly in North America; one species occurs in Europe and one species, Zaifuri-boku (Shide-zakura), occurs in Japan.
The leaves are simple and alternate, with serrated margins.
The flowers are white and 5-petaled, open around the time the leaves unfold, and are usually borne in racemes at the branch tips.
The petals are usually long and narrow.
The fruit is a pome that ripens red to black.
[Uses]
The fruit is used in cooking or made into dried fruit.
[Cultivation]
It is robust and not particular about soil.
It prefers a sunny site and dislikes dryness.
Propagate from seed, cuttings, layering or suckers.
When propagating from seed, stratifying the seeds improves the germination rate.
Pests and diseases include fire blight, oriental moth caterpillars (Irago), aphids and longhorn beetles.
In addition, netting is necessary if you want to prevent wild birds from eating the fruit.
