Serviceberry 'Sprizam'

Amelanchier tolerates wet and clay soil. It is native to Maine and down through the Carolinas, naturally occuring in wet sites, bogs, and...Read More swamps. This variety has a vigorous, upright habit with a narrow, pyramidal shape. Its smaller size makes it a recommended street tree for under utility lines.

According to Lake County Nursery, which introduced this cultivar, the origin of the common name, "serviceberry," relates to burial traditions in cold climates before snow plows and back hoes. When a person died during the winter when the ground was frozen, the body was stored in the barn until spring. When the ground thawed enough to allow burial, the Amelanchier tree was in bloom. Family and friends placed Amelanchier branches covered with white blooms on the grave, thus it became known as the Serviceberry.