Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Witch Hazel - TreeTime.ca

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Witch Hazel

Amelanchier alnifolia Smoky

Hamamelis virginiana

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry)
Witch Hazel

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.

Witch Hazel is a deciduous shrub, or small tree, with a short trunk, bearing numerous spreading, crooked branches.

The seeds grow in a long, wooden pod with two to four seeds per pod. Upon ripening, the pods burst, firing the seeds up to 30km an hour.

The leaf and bark extract of Witch Hazel has been used as a remedy to common ailments such as inflammation, bruises and much more for many centuries.

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Witch Hazel Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 4 m (14 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: medium
Suckering: medium


Fall colour: orange to red
Berries: produces large edible berries great for eating raw
Seeds: seeds ejected to a distance of up to 30 ft
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Other Names: alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, pacific serviceberry, pigeon berry, smokey saskatoon, smokey serviceberry, western juneberry, western serviceberry