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Japanese Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa subsp. sieboldiana
ニワトコ
A deciduous shrub to small tree growing at forest margins and along valleys in mountains. Numerous small white flowers bloom in paniculate inflorescences in early spring, followed by clusters of small red berries ripening in early summer. Reclassified from Caprifoliaceae to Adoxaceae.
Identification Points
- ✓Opposite, odd-pinnately compound leaves (3–7 leaflets)
- ✓Small yellowish-white 5-petaled flowers densely arranged in panicles
- ✓Fruits are globose, about 3 mm in diameter, ripening red
Habitat
Mountain forest margins, along valleys and streams
Season
March–May (flowers); June–July (fruit)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Compound
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Petal count
5 petals
Petal fusion
Fused
Habitat
Mountain
Stipules
Absent
Ovary position
Half-inferior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Compound type
Ternate
Phylogenetic Positionレンプクソウ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Dipsacales > Adoxaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Evolution Notes
Adoxaceae is a family established under the APG classification by transferring Viburnum and Sambucus from Caprifoliaceae. Molecular phylogenetics showed it to be closely related to but independent from Caprifoliaceae.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification