Utah serviceberry

Description:

While Amelanchier utahensis is reported to occur throughout Utah, its primary distribution in the state is along the Wasatch Mountains and Utah Plateaus and to the east, i.e. the eastern half of the state and particularly in the Colorado Plateau. It is somewhat of an anomaly along the Wasatch Front in northern Utah and occurs only very sporadically in Utah's west desert portion of the Great Basin.More specifically, in Salt Lake County, this is a rarely seen species and where found there often aren't many others. At this location, there was a single plant, the next nearest location that I'm aware of is 1.5 miles south of here at the base of Parley's Canyon, and also at about 1.5 miles north at the base of Emigration Canyon. Plants also occur in the open space within and near Red Butte Garden. Pre-settlement, there were probably occasional plants scattered at somewhat lower elevations.Plants are often shrub sized (this plant was no more than 1 meter tall, but note the herbivory) but then can also grow up to be small trees in the 3 to 4 meters range (Intermountain Flora Vol 3A mistakenly reports its height in several respects). This species tends to be found on dry slopes. It is intricately branched and the bark is reddish until it becomes much older. The branches are unarmed but become quite stiff or at least very tough/dense, and probably would have been useful raw materials for tools and perhaps weapons.May 4, 2013, Wasatch Front foothills, approx. 5400 ft. elevation, northern Salt Lake County, Utah