6
Secondary bud break
Secondary bud break occurs just after petal fall
when vegetative shoots extend to increase the size
of the plant. These vegetative shoots are produced
from axillary buds at the base of one or more basal
leaflets on the dominant fruiting inflorescence.
Leaves
Leaves are simple, with smooth, rounded margins at
the base and serrated teeth at the apex. Leaves are
variable in size, ranging from 1 to 5 cm (0.5 - 2 in.) in
length (Figure 1).
Flowers and fruit
White (and occasionally pink) flowers are 8 to
12
mm (0.3 - 0.5 in.) across. They are arranged in
what is described as a reduced panicle, a terminal
bud that opens first (followed by those on the lateral
branches) and has an occasional branching habit.
Individual flowers are held on a stalk within the
cluster. Each flower has 5 petals with a green sepal
positioned between each petal, 5 pollen receptors
known as stigmas and 20 pollen-producing anthers
(
Figure 2). Saskatoon berry plants produce flowers
from early May to early June on wood that is at least
one-year-old.
Figure 2. Reduced panicle: buds or flowers open
from top to bottom.
The fleshy purple fruit sometimes has a whitish
bloom and is a round, berry-like pome (fruit with a
central core containing seeds) with several seeds
(
Figure 3). Individual fruit size varies from 6 to
16
mm (0.2 - 0.6 in.) across, and the size is relative
to the number of developing seeds (ovules).
Large-sized fruit has more seeds per berry.
Figure 1. Saskatoon berry leaf has serrated teeth towards leaf tip on a Smoky cultivar.
Photo: Bob Bors