| Author | (Lamarck) K. Koch | |
| Distribution | Scattered over most of the Coastal Plain (absent from the Sandhills proper), and very widely scattered mainly in the southern parts of the Piedmont and Mountains. It appears to be absent over most or all of the central and northern Mountains and the northwestern Piedmont. NOTE: it is possible that montane records actually belong to A. arborea var. austromontana; see Distribution section of A. intermedia. In Sept 2022 one of the Taxon Editors (Sorrie) checked specimens at NCU. Only the following counties were vouchered with correct ID: Gates, Halifax, Harnett, Henderson, Lincoln, New Hanover. The rest on our map are apparently housed at other herbaria and need vetting, as do records provided by USDA database.
Despite it being mainly a Coastal Plain species in NC, and with records from the other provinces mainly near SC, this is surprisingly a Northern species. It ranges from Canada southward to southern SC and adjacent GA and northeastern AL. The BONAP map shows no records for either IN or TN.
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| Abundance | Uncommon in the southern half of the Coastal Plain, and rare in the other two provinces and the northern Coastal Plain. Not as well known as A. obovalis, A. canadensis, A. laevis, and A. arborea and thus may be overlooked. Bruce Sorrie has not seen it in NC! | |
| Habitat | This species is found primarily in dry, sandy or rocky upland woods and thickets. It is not known from wetland habitats or damp sandy places--those being occipied by A. obovalis. . | |
| Phenology | As with other Amelanchier species, blooms in early spring (March and April) and fruits in May and June. | |
| Identification | As its name implies, it is a stoloniferous species, being a small and colonial deciduous shrub reaching only 3-4 feet tall, with many upright twigs. Thus, any serviceberry growing in rhizomatous colonies in dry/upland sites should be this species, as opposed to A. obovalis, a generally obligate wetland and wetland ecotone shrub. Its leaves are slightly wider (more rounded) than are those of A. obovalis. Also, Running Serviceberry has the summit of the ovary strongly tomentose, as are the undersides of unfurling leaves; Coastal Serviceberry has the ovary summit essentially glabrous, as are the unfurling leaves below (though they can be rather hairy at first). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Many references, such as NatureServe Explorer, name the species as Amelanchier stolonifera. However, many earlier (i.e., RAB 1968) and later (e.g., Weakley 2018) references use A. spicata.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Dwarf Serviceberry, Low Juneberry, Thicket Shadbush | |
| State Rank | S2S3 [S3] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
