Appearance
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow to 1–8 m in height. Its growth form spans from suckering and forming colonies to clumped.The leaves are oval to nearly circular, 2–5 cm long and 1–4.5 cm broad, on a 0.5–2 cm leaf stem, margins toothed mostly above the middle.
As with all species in the genus ''Amelanchier'', the flowers are white, with 5 quite separate petals. In ''A. alnifolia'', they are about 2–3 cm across, and appear on short racemes of 3–20 somewhat crowded together, in spring while the new leaves are still expanding.
The fruit is a small purple pome 5–15 mm in diameter, ripening in early summer in the coastal areas and late summer further inland.
Naming
The name "saskatoon" derives from the Cree inanimate noun misâskwatômina . The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after the berry.
Uses
Seedlings are planted with 13–20 feet between rows and 1.5–3 feet between plants. An individual bush may bear fruit 30 or more years.Saskatoons are adaptable to most soil types with exception of poorly drained or heavy clay soils lacking organic matter. Shallow soils should be avoided, especially if there is a high or erratic water table. Winter hardiness is exceptional but frost can damage blooms as late as May. Large amounts of sunshine are needed for fruit ripening.
With a sweet nutty taste, the fruits have long been eaten by Canada's Aboriginal people, fresh or dried. They are well known as an ingredient in pemmican, a preparation of dried meat to which saskatoon berries are added as flavour and preservative. They are also often used in pies, jam, wines, cider, beers and sugar-infused berries similar to dried cranberries used for cereals, trail mix and snack foods.
In 2004, the British Food Standards Agency suspended saskatoon berries from retail sales pending safety testing, a ban that was eventually lifted after pressure from the European Union.
Canadian growers are currently moving to position saskatoon berries as a superfruit, following the vogue for such fruits as wild blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates, and açaí.
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