Amelasorbus jackii

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −40 °C

Cultivation

Prefers a sunny position in a well-drained moisture-retentive humus-rich lime-free soil. Hardy to about -20°c. Plants are surprisingly vigorous in British gardens. A naturally occurring bi-generic hybrid, Amelanchier alnifolia semiintegrifolia x Sorbus scopulina, it is very variable in the wild.

Propagation

Seed - it is best harvested 'green', when the seed is fully formed but before the seed coat has hardened, and then sown immediately in pots outdoors or in a cold frame. If stored seed is obtained early enough in the autumn, it can be given 4 weeks warm stratification before being left out in the winter and it should then germinate in the spring. Otherwise seed can be very slow to germinate, perhaps taking 18 months or more. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a sheltered outdoor position, planting them out once they are 20cm or more tall. This is a bi-generic hybrid and, if seed is produced, it is unlikely to breed true. If there is sufficient seed it is best to sow it thinly in an outdoor seedbed. Grow the seedlings on for two years in the seedbed before planting them out into their permanent positions during the winter. Layering in spring - takes 18 months. Division of suckers in late winter. The suckers need to have been growing for 2 years before you dig them up, otherwise they will not have formed roots. They can be planted out straight into their permanent positions if required.

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. Not very palatable.

Habitat

Not known

Native range

Western N. America - Idaho and Oregon.