Amelanchier alnifolia 'Obelisk'Juneberry
A selection with a markedly columnar habit, it turns the usual broad silhouette of Amelanchier into a vertical, dense and naturally narrow structure. In spring, the white clusters are spread along the ascending branches, forming a flowering column that needs little corrective pruning.
- Ascending branches that keep a compact, regular columnar silhouette
- Upright flower clusters that punctuate the whole vertical structure of the crown
- Purple-black fruits, edible and relatively large for the size of the tree
About this cultivar
‘Obelisk’ was selected at Arboretum Kalmthout, in Belgium, and introduced in 1994. It forms a slow-growing small tree or large shrub, with strongly ascending branches and a dense columnar crown. It usually reaches 3 to 5 metres in height and only 1 to 2 metres in spread, keeping a vertical proportion very different from that of most Amelanchier.Read moreShow less
‘Obelisk’ was selected at Arboretum Kalmthout, in Belgium, and introduced in 1994. It forms a slow-growing small tree or large shrub, with strongly ascending branches and a dense columnar crown. It usually reaches 3 to 5 metres in height and only 1 to 2 metres in spread, keeping a vertical proportion very different from that of most Amelanchier.
In mid-spring, it produces numerous short, upright clusters of creamy-white flowers with green centres. The vertical orientation of the inflorescences follows the line of the branches, so that the flowering is spread over the whole column rather than concentrated only on the outside of the crown.
The young leaves have bronze tones, turning dark green during the summer. In autumn they change to yellow, orange and red. Flowering may be followed by edible fruits of 1 to 1.5 centimetres, scarlet at first and then purple-black, which are enjoyed by birds.
It adapts to sun or partial shade and to different soil types, provided they are fertile, moist and well drained. It has high resistance to cold and good tolerance of wind. In the Portuguese regions with hotter summers, deep watering and protection from intense afternoon sun favour the quality of the foliage and help maintain a full crown.
Its narrow spread makes it particularly suited to entrances, courtyards, small gardens, narrow streets and architectural compositions where height is needed without taking up too much of the horizontal plane. A mature specimen from Diaplant immediately establishes a well-defined green column with flowering wood already formed, avoiding the years of slow growth needed to build this vertical presence.
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