#viburnaceae

[francescointoppa]

Sambuco lebbio (Sambucus ebulus L., Viburnaceae)

[faguscarolinensis]

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum 'Nanum Semperflorens' / 'Nanum Semperflorens' Doublefile Viburnum at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[stopandlook]

Scientific Name: Sambucus canadensis or Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis* Common Name(s): American black elderberry, common elderberry Family: Adoxaceae (moschatel); prev. Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) Life Cycle: Perennial Leaf Retention: Deciduous Habit: Tree, shrub USDA L48 Native Status: Native Location: Plano, Texas Season(s): Late winter

The way that new growths on this plant spurt out of the nodes, set apart by long spans of bare stem (called the internode, I just learned) always struck me as a bit odd-looking.

* There is apparently some disagreement over whether this plant belongs to its own species (Sambucus canadensis) or is a subspecies under another one (Sambucus nigra subspecies canadensis). The U.S. government’s Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) regards S. nigra ssp. canadensis as the accepted name and relegates S. canadensis to synonym status. However, Plants of the World Online (POWO) from the British authority Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew treats S. canadensis as an accepted species and doesn't show any subspecies under S. nigra. A page on iNaturalist explains at length the logic behind using S. canadensis, but it also shows that the site has flipped back and forth on this matter several times. How is a layperson supposed to know?

Adding to the confusion, POWO indicates that Viburnaceae should be this plant’s proper family name, with Adoxaceae as the synonym, yet the accepted taxonomic tree on ITIS shows Adoxaceae. Is this a British vs. American thing? I thought it was all supposed to be in Latin. I can’t tell.

[francescointoppa]

Viburno lantana (Viburnum lantana L., Viburnaceae) (digital watercolor)

[francescointoppa]

Viburno lantana (Viburnum lantana L., Viburnaceae) (vecchia dia)

[francescointoppa]

Viburno-tino (Viburnum tinus L., Viburnaceae)

[francescointoppa]

Viburno-tino (Viburnum tinus L., Viburnaceae)

[faguscarolinensis]

Viburnum carlesii var. bitchiuense / Bitchiu Viburnum at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC