| Author | (Pursh) de Candolle | |
| Distribution | Essentially only in the southern Mountains and adjacent foothills, despite this being a northern species. Surprisingly, there seems to be just one county record for the northern half of the Mountains (in Surry County).
This is a Northern species, ranging south in the Appalachians to extreme northern GA and eastern TN.
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| Abundance | Rare to locally uncommon, and restricted to higher pH soils, in the lower elevations of the Mountains and foothills. When the RAB manual was published in 1968, the species was known only from Buncombe County. However, to date it has been found in at least 13 counties. Even so, this is an NC Watch List species. The website editors suggest that a rank of S3 is too liberal for a species that has rather strict habitat requirements and is rather scarce even in such habitats; S2S3 seems a better State Rank. | |
| Habitat | This species is restricted to basic/circumneutral (high pH) soils of dry, rocky forests and edges, including glades and margins of outcrops (but not granitic). Also in rocky slopes along montane streams. |
| Phenology | Blooms in the spring (April and May); fruits from later in May into June. | |
| Identification | This is a rather unfamiliar shrub to most biologists, as it has fairly specific and limited habitats. It is a deciduous shrub, reaching only to 10 feet tall, with one to several stems. As the common name implies, the leaves are more rounded or widely elliptic than are all other serviceberries. Its habit of growing on thin, rocky, and exposed soils of high pH character also aid in separation from other species in the genus. Several other montane serviceberries can be eliminated by a cordate leaf base, or by growing on acidic soils (either in uplands or in wetlands). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | No taxonomic issues, other than a few authorities have named varieties for the species; however, most references do not.
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| Other Common Name(s) | New England Serviceberry, Red-twigged Shadbush, Roundleaf Shadbush | |
| State Rank | S3 [S2S3] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
