Western Serviceberry
Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lewis was the first to collect a specimen of the western serviceberry for science. The berries were a favorite food of the entire expedition, and Lewis recorded that the Lemhi Shoshone also prized them. The plant’s sweet berries were eaten fresh, dried for winter use, and mixed with pemmican by Native peoples throughout the West.
Journal Excerpt
Lewis, August 2, 1805: "the service burry grows on a smaller bush and differs from ours only in colour and the superior excellence of it's flavor and size, it is of a deep purple."
Where it’s being seen today
2 research-grade iNaturalist observations between 2021–2025. Most recent: 2025-05-07. Sourced from Terrain360 trail captures, cached locally.
Journal References
2 journal entries mention Western Serviceberry
