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Sambucus canadensis

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Dipsacales Family: Viburnaceae Genus: Sambucus

Mexican elderberry

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs or small trees 3–5(–10) m tall, essentially glabrous throughout.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Opposite. Leaflets usually 5–7, lowest ones often trifoliate, lateral ones reduced, ovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic–oblong, 3.5–9 cm long, 1.1–3 cm wide. Surfaces often pubescent, especially on midrib on lower surfaces and petioles. Margins serrate. Petiolate.

Flowers: Flowers in corymbiform cymes 6–20 cm in diameter, in basically cymose inflorescences. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Corolla actinomorphic, rotate, 3–5-lobed, corolla white, the lobes 2–3 mm long. Stamens 5; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior; ovule placentation axile, pendulous, anatropous; style 1.

Fruit: Mature fruit purplish black; 5–8 mm in diameter. Seeds with oily; fleshy endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 38

Habitat: Commonly cultivated and sparingly naturalized or escaping in cool; mesic to wet areas.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Synonyms (37)

Aralia sololensis Donn.Sm. (1913)
Sambucus bipinnata Moench (1794)
Sambucus canadensis f. atroflavula House (1923)
Sambucus canadensis f. aurea (J.F.Cowell ex L.H.Bailey) Rehder (1949)
Sambucus canadensis f. chlorocarpa Rehder (1911)
Sambucus canadensis f. delicatissima Schwer. (1908)
Sambucus canadensis f. engelmannii Rehder (1911)
Sambucus canadensis f. maxima (Hesse) Schwer. (1909)
Sambucus canadensis f. repens Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus canadensis f. rosicalyx Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus canadensis f. rubra E.J.Palmer & Steyerm. (1938)
Sambucus canadensis subsp. laciniata (A.Gray) A.E.Murray (1983)
Sambucus canadensis var. aurea J.F.Cowell ex L.H.Bailey (1902)
Sambucus canadensis var. glabra Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus canadensis var. laciniata A.Gray (1884)
Sambucus canadensis var. maxima (Hesse) C.K.Schneid. (1911)
Sambucus canadensis var. oreopola (Donn.Sm.) Rehder (1911)
Sambucus canadensis var. rubella Schwer. (1909)
Sambucus canadensis var. submollis Rehder (1911)
Sambucus canadensis var. tarda Schwer. (1909)
Sambucus cerulea var. arizonica Sarg. (1922)
Sambucus eberhardtii Danguy (1922)
Sambucus humilis Raf. (1820)
Sambucus intermedia var. insularis Schwer. (1909)
Sambucus mexicana (Misapplied) C.Presl ex DC. (1830)
Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis (L.) Bolli (1994)
Sambucus nigra var. canadensis (L.) B.L.Turner (2003)
Sambucus orbiculata Greene (1910)
Sambucus orbiculata var. glabra Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus orbiculata var. puberula Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus oreopola Donn.Sm. (1898)
Sambucus planteriensis Simon-Louis ex Dippel (1889)
Sambucus plantierensis Koehne (1893)
Sambucus pubens var. maxima Hesse (1898)
Sambucus rehderiana Schwer. (1920)
Sambucus repens Raf. (1838)
Sambucus simpsonii Rehder (1911)

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Only found in cultivation
Maui Potentially naturalizing
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds

Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected on O'ahu in 1938

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 269 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:495 (K, O, EM, H [as S. mexicana]); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2002:5 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:220 (KEY), 222 (DESCR); Whittemore 2018 (S. mexicana usage inconsistent, name lectotypified, [while the paper doesn’t mention it, Whittemore annotated all Haw'n material at US as S. canadensis]); Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:218 (S. mexicana misapplied = S. canadensis)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, along Roundtop Drive, above Makiki Preserved_Specimen shrub 2-3 m tall; flowers white; fruit deep red-purple, fleshy Fosberg, F.R. 29487 Oahu BISH 1948-02-01
2 Sambucus canadensis Near Mauna Loa State Park, Pohakuloa Preserved_Specimen Two, arid, naturalized shrubling 3-4 m., tall trees and dryish plain with Cheropodium, Myoporum and Sophoro and Hubert Zieglers Degener, O. 35643 Hawaii BISH 1983-04-02
3 Sambucus canadensis Lyon Arboretum, east side of greenhouse, near Pleomele (148) Preserved_Specimen shrub 2 m, ~1 dbh. Nagata, K.M. 149 Oahu BISH 1966-08-16
4 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, U.H. Campus Preserved_Specimen 6 m shrub, corolla imbricate, white, stamens rotate, anthers yellow, berries black, leaves above dark green, below green St.John, H. 20246 Oahu BISH 1941-07-24
5 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, U.H. Campus Preserved_Specimen 6 m shrub, corolla imbricate, white, stamens rotate, anthers yellow, berries black, leaves above dark green, below green St.John, H. 20246 Oahu BISH 1941-07-24
6 Sambucus canadensis 42 Coelho Way Preserved_Specimen shrub, 8', full of white fls. Berries black, eaten by birds Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-05-16
7 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, along Roundtop Drive, above Makiki Preserved_Specimen shrub 2-3 m tall; flowers white; fruit deep red-purple, fleshy Fosberg, F.R. 29487 Oahu BISH 1948-02-01
8 Sambucus canadensis Pohakuloa Preserved_Specimen much branched tree (20' tall, 5.5 DBH) with furrowed bark, enlarged nodes, yellowish flowers, blue fruit, lacking a bloom Herbst, D.R. 928 Hawaii BISH 1968-02-18
9 Sambucus canadensis Foster Community Gardens, Foster Botanical Gardens, Honolulu Preserved_Specimen ~6' tall and ~2' wide Mayeda, C.S. Oahu BISH 1990-11-25
10 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, 42 Coelho Way Preserved_Specimen shrub 15'; some leaves bipinnate, esp. near base; fls. white; berries purple-black to black Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1961-04-09
11 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, 42 Coelho Way Preserved_Specimen shrub 15'; some leaves bipinnate, esp. near base; fls. white; berries purple-black to black Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1961-04-09
12 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Oahu BISH 1937-01-01
13 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Oahu BISH 1937-01-01
14 Sambucus canadensis Heauhou Ranch, Kau district, 20 ft from Puu Oo road Collected in pastureland of Pennisetum (kikuyu grass) with scattered Metrosideros and Acacia koa trees. Preserved_Specimen Height: 3-4 ft. Flowers white, friut dispersed. Cuddihy, L.W. 91 Hawaii BISH 1980-01-04
15 Sambucus canadensis 29 miles, Puna gardens Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 30820 Hawaii BISH 1966-05-19
16 Sambucus canadensis along Waineke Stream, Kokee Preserved_Specimen Tree, ~20' tall, 6dbh, with light-colored scaly bark; white flowers Herbst, D.R. 1095 Kauai BISH 1968-04-27
17 Sambucus canadensis Waianae Forest Reserve Preserved_Specimen Shinbara, B. Oahu BISH 1974-09-25
18 Sambucus canadensis 42 Coelho Way Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1941-08-12
19 Sambucus canadensis Hauula, Cooper Ranch Preserved_Specimen Cooper, W.J. Oahu BISH 1938-08-03
20 Sambucus canadensis Honoulu, Alewa Hts., near topmost side road leading to main road to Kamehameha Schools Preserved_Specimen Woolford, H.A. Oahu BISH 1949-08-25
21 Sambucus canadensis Hawaii Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Hawaii BISH 1952-10-06
22 Sambucus canadensis Kokee, Mohihi road Acacia koa - Metrosideros mesic forest With Xylosma hawaiiense, Elaeocarpus bifidus, Melicope clusiifolia, Coprosma waimeae, Psychotria mariniana, Ilex anomala, Cheirodendron, Melicope anisata, Dodonaea viscosa, Rubus argutus Preserved_Specimen Shrubs 3 meter ht with flowers Perlman, S. 22470 Kauai BISH 2011-03-15
23 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, 3785 Old Pali Road, residence of Betty Ho full sun Preserved_Specimen shrub 2 m with stems partially supported by surrounding shrubbery. Flowers white; odorless (afternoon). Lau, J. 2292 Oahu BISH 1986-04-21
24 Sambucus canadensis Waimea District. Kokee State Park. Nualolo Trail head. Mixed mesic forest. With Acacia, Tetraplasandra, Corynocarpus, Pouteria. Preserved_Specimen Multi-trunked, large shrub/small tree of 20 feet. Leaves dark green +/- glossy above, dull grey green below; flowers fragrant (4.30 p), petals 4-5, whitish cream, slightly reflexed; stamens 4-5, alt with petal, erect, whitish cream; branches of infructescence deep maroon red, immature fruit green, branches of inflorescen Flynn, T.W. 8023 Kauai BISH 2014-12-18
25 Sambucus canadensis near Saddle Road across from Mauna Kea State Park open mamane-naio forest with Dodonaea, Heterotheca, Verbascum, and Pennisetum setaceum Preserved_Specimen large shrubs Wakida, C. 363 Hawaii BISH 1982-07-19
26 Sambucus canadensis Waimea, Kokee State Park, Waineke Swamp along Mohihi Road, ~0.5 miles E of Highway 550 marshy with mixed mesophytic forest around perimeter Preserved_Specimen small tree 4 m, flowers cream colored, fragrant Lorence, D.H. 5750 Kauai BISH 1988-01-28
27 Sambucus canadensis Honolulu, Woodlawn, Manoa Valley garden Preserved_Specimen shrub 2 m; flowers cream-white Fosberg, F.R. 27150 Oahu BISH 1946-11-02
28 Sambucus canadensis Koloa, Kalaheo, Kuli Rd. roadside, property edge Preserved_Specimen 2+ m shrub; large round inflorescence, small white flower; bark with small knobs Trauernicht, C. 209 Kauai BISH 2007-10-15
29 Sambucus canadensis Puhi Camp, just W of Kauai Community College yard of abandoned home site Preserved_Specimen shrubby, to 12'. Petals white. Filaments white; anthers yellow. Ovary creamy white. Flynn, T.W. 1624 Kauai BISH 1986-04-03
30 Sambucus canadensis Alongside Puu Oo trail in Keauhou Rance, Kau District A small patch located in Pennisetum clandestinum-Anthoxanthum odoratum dominant pasture with scattered Metrosideros and Acacia. Preserved_Specimen A 3 ft shrup with a basal stem diameter of 0.5 inch and white-yellowish flowers. Clarke, G. 474 Hawaii BISH 1980-07-22
31 Sambucus canadensis Nuololo trail head near Kokee Lodge, Parking area at the edge of mixed mesic forest. Mixed mesic forest Preserved_Specimen Tree, spreading w underground runners, sprouting a distance from trunk, mature fruit turning purple and don't have the sky-blue waxy glaucousness as does S. mexicana or S. cerulea, inflorescences w white flowers Wood, K.R. 19118 Kauai BISH 2022-08-12
32 Sambucus canadensis W Maui, Lahaina District, Paunau, Kahoma Stream At the water intake. Degraded riparian zone, Mesic Forest. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 40006 Maui BISH 2000-04-06
33 Sambucus canadensis Hamakua Dist.; Pohakuloa Training Area, along Saddle Road Between the 30 & 45 mile markers & within 60' of road. Preserved_Specimen Funk, E.J. Hawaii BISH 1990-12-13
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