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Sambucus canadensis L.

American Elder

Modern name

Sambucus canadensis L.

A deciduous shrub, up to 12 ft high, with white pith; young branches glabrous. Leaves pinnate, the leaflets mostly seven (but also five, nine, and eleven), oval, oblong, or roundish ovate; the largest 512 in. long, 212 in. wide, taper-pointed, sharply toothed, the lowest pair frequently two- or three-lobed, lower surface glabrous or slightly downy. Flowers in convex umbels, 4 to 8 in. across, white, produced in July. Fruits purple-black.

Native of eastern N. America from Canada to Florida; introduced in 1761. Nearly allied to S. nigra, it differs in the following respects: it never assumes a tree-like form or becomes half as high as S. nigra; the leaves have normally one more pair of leaflets; the flower clusters are more rounded and appear four weeks later; the fruit is not absolutely black. I have seen it making a very pleasing picture growing by the side of a stream in the Arnold Arboretum, Mass., flowering in July, but it is not so good in this country as S. nigra.

cv. ‘Acutiloba’. – This is the counterpart of the cut-leaved form of the European elder, but is more graceful owing to the longer and more divided leaf, which is dark green. Put into commerce by the American firm of Ellwanger and Barry early this century.

cv. ‘Aurea’. – Leaves golden yellow, fruits red.

cv. ‘Maxima’. – The best and most remarkable form of the American elder in cultivation, originally sent out by Messrs Hesse of Germany under the erroneous name “S. pubens maxima”. It is an extraordinarily robust variety, with leaves 12 to 18 in. long; the leaflets are often eleven to each leaf, and the enormous flower clusters are 10 to 18 in. across.


Genus

Sambucus

Other species in the genus