Viburnaceae

Sambucus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 269 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Temperate to Tropical Mountains.

Descriptions

Caprifoliaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Small trees, shrubs or rarely perennial subshrubby herbs, mostly evil-smelling
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately or bipinnately compound; leaflets usually serrate; stipules absent, small or occasionally conspicuous, sometimes reduced to clusters of glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences usually terminal, corymbose, cymose or thyrsoid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, regular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or yellowish, rotate, the lobes imbricate or valvate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5; filaments slender; anthers dehiscing outwards
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 3–5-locular, with a single pendulous ovule in each locule; style wanting, the stigma sessile and 3–5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a berry-like drupe with 3–5 1-seeded pyrenes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with a membranous testa and fleshy endosperm.
[FTEA]

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
A genus of c. 20 species, with one species reaching northern New Guinea, Sambucus javanica Reinw. ex Blume, in the Sepik and Madang regions.
Morphology General Habit
Trees, shrubs, or erect herbs to 4 m (in New Guinea)
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches pithy, nodes often with stipule- like appendages
Morphology Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate, or incompletely bipinnate, rarely laciniate; leaflets serrate, opposite or alternate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of many small flowers, terminal, flat or convex corymbs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers actinomorphic, articulated with the pedicel, mostly white, sometimes dimorphic: gynodioecious, or part of them aborted into nectary glands; calyx tube short, limb 5-parted; corolla rotate, 5-lobed, lobes valvate or imbricate; stamens 5, inserted on the base of the corolla, filaments filiform, erect; anthers oblong, latrorse; ovary inferior, 3–5-celled, each cell with 1 ovule; stigmas 3 or 5, short, broad, on a cushion-like style
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Berry 3–5-seeded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with flat sides, back convex, granulate, embryo as long as the seed, terete.
Ecology
Found in a secondary and regrowth habitats including roadsides from 180 to 1200 m.
Recognition
The genus can be recognised by the opposite compound leaves, with distinctly toothed margins to the leaflets, the inflorescence is a flat-topped terminal corymb of many small, white flowers with an inferior ovary and the fruit is black when mature with several seeds. The plant is stated to have a very strong distinctive smell, especially when in flower.
[TONG]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0