Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_0996.JPG-07-02-2017
Flower name (scientific): Sambucus canadensis Linnaeus PY: 1753. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) sam-BOO-kus kan-ah-DEN-sis
Flower name (common): Common Elderberry
Family name (common): Moschatel
Family name (scientific): Adoxaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: Latin name for the Elder tree, from sambūca, a triangular stringed-instrument, a kind of harp.
    Specific epithet: Of or referring to Canada.
Common name origin: Compounding of elder + berry. Elder has a complex etymology, ranging well over a thousand years, with multiple spelling variations.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.2 to 0.3 inches (0.5 to 0.8 cm)
     Petal count: 5
     Color: white
     Other: flower arrangement, Cluster-umbel
Plant description:
     Size: 48 to 144 inches (1.2 to 3.7 m)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is opposite, type is compound
     Size: Leaflets up to 12 cm long and 6 cm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf, simple-pinnate (IL), leaflet, lance-elliptic (MW), lanceolate or elliptic (IL)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): July to August
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: Woodland edges, thickets, meadows, streambanks, disturbed areas, roadsides, waste areas, sun or semi-shade, moist.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): The purplish-black berries of Sambucus canadensis help distinguish this species from the related Sambucus racemosa (Red-berried Elder), which has red berries.
Ethnobotany: The Menominee employed peeled twigs to prepare a decoctionn used as a purgative or the inner bark as an emetic (Smith, pp. 27-28, 1923). The Meskwaki used the root bark as a remedy to remove phlegm from the lungs. The Meskwaki also used the berries as a food source (Smith, pp. 207, 256, 1928). The Chippewa utilized the roots to prepare an emetic and also used the fruit as a food source (Gilmore, p. 142, 1933).
Latitude:
Longitude:
Altitude:
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY)
In Canada: (MB, NB, NS, ON, PE, QC)
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: na
Homotypic Synonym(s):
Heterotypic Synonym(s):
Autonym: na