Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Black Hawthorn - TreeTime.ca

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Black Hawthorn

Amelanchier alnifolia Smoky

Crataegus douglasii

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry)
Black Hawthorn

Smoky Saskatoon is a large deciduous shrub that suckers and produces edible fruit. Smoky Saskatoons are one of the most productive and widely used Saskatoons and have large sweet berries with good yields.

One of the oldest and first good yielding cultivars, a majority of the commercial saskatoon orchards were based on this cultivar until Northline and other cultivars were introduced.

Smoky has slightly smaller fruit than Northline and a milder taste but is not acidic like Pembina, Thiessen or Honeywood.

Black Hawthorn is a versatile plant that is native to wetlands and other areas with moist soils, but can also tolerate dry soils. This plant can be grown as a short shrub, or a tree reaching 30 feet tall.

Black Hawthorn is valued for erosion control and attracting pollinators. It also makes an attractive flowering ornamental that can be planted as a specimen or pruned as a hedge. It is commonly used in shelterbelts.

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 4 m (14 ft)
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: medium


Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: orange to red
Fall colour: yellow to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: white
Berries: produces large edible berries great for eating raw
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, pacific serviceberry, pigeon berry, smokey saskatoon, smokey serviceberry, western juneberry, western serviceberry
Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple