Also Known As: Saskatoon is variously called by the common names serviceberry,  Juneberry, shadberry, sugar pear and Indian pear.

The saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a small to large shrub, or small tree, which belongs to the Rose family. It is closely related to the apple, hawthorn and mountain ash.

The saskatoon is a perennial, woody, fruit bearing shrub which is capable to adapting to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. The saskatoon is native to the Canadian Prairies, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia and the northwestern and north central United States. The saskatoon is hardy to -50º to -60º C. Flowering occurs in early May to early June.

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow to 1–8 m (3–26 ft) (rarely to 10 m, 33 ft) in height. Its growth form spans from suckering and forming colonies to clumped. The leaves are oval to nearly circular, 2–5 cm (0.79–2.0 in) long and 1–4.5 cm (0.4–1.8 in) broad, on a 0.5–2 cm (0.2–0.8 in) leaf stem, margins toothed mostly above the middle.

The flowers are white, about 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) across; they appear on racemes of 3–20 together in spring while the new leaves are still expanding. The fruit is a small purple pome 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) in diameter, ripening in early summer in the coastal areas and late summer further inland. The fruit, usually called a berry, is actually a pome. 

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