May 9,
Blue Hills Reservation, Milton
These are the least showy of all shadbushes. Their tiny petals
are shaped as miniature spoons. Yet the most amazing fact
about them is that these small, but quite normal petals carry
additional pollen (hidden on the underside of the petal margin). This
phenomenon seems to be very rare, if not unique, in the plant world. It is also
well pronounced in A. nantucketensis and has served the grounds for uniting
both in one taxon.