The fruits of some of these plants, especially those of S. canadensis, are a 

 favorite food of many species of songbirds and game birds. Not only the fruits 

 but also the twigs, foliage and bark are consumed by various small mammals and 

 browsers. 



1. Inflorescence broadly short-pyramidal, with the axis extended beyond the 

 lowest branches; berries bright red, not glaucous.... 1. S. microbotrys. 



1. Inflorescence flat-topped, with elongate compound rays, the axis not extended 



beyond the lowest branches; berries dark-blue or blackish, com- 

 monly glaucous (2) 



2(1). Distribution in eastern Oklahoma and throughout most of Texas (except 

 mountains in the Trans-Pecos) 2. S. canadensis. 



2. Distribution in New Mexico, Arizona and mountains in Trans-Pecos Texas (3) 



3(2). Leaflets narrowly lanceolate and gradually long-acuminate, usually thin, 

 the larger ones seldom less than 8 cm. long; inflorescence rather 

 lax and open 3. 5. glauca. 



3. Leaflets obovate to oblong-lanceolate or ovate, abrupt acute to acuminate, 



thickish, usually less than 8 cm. long; inflorescence typically rather 

 compact 4. S. mexicana. 



1. Sambucus microbotrjs Rydb. Red elderberry. 



Low shrub, rarely more than 1 m. tall, with strong-scented herbage, often 

 thickly branched and spreading; leaves thin and glabrous; leaflets commonly 7, 

 ascending on the rachis, ovate to ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, to 10 cm. long, 

 the margin serrate, the acute to acuminate apex entire; flowers white, in a conical 

 or pyramidal paniculate cyme to about 3 cm. across; berries bright red, 4-5 mm. 

 in diameter, reputedly poisonous; seeds ovoid, finely rugose. S. racemosa of auth. 



Wet stream banks and about springs and lakes, usually at high elevations, 

 also on moist wooded slopes, in N.M. (San Juan, Rio Arriba, Lincoln, Otero, 

 Grant. San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos cos.) and Ariz. (Apache, Greenlee and 

 Coconino cos.), June-Aug.; also Colo, and Ut. 



2. Sambucus canadensis L. Common elder-berry. 



Stems scarcely woody, to 4 m. tall, with large white pith; leaflets 5 to 11, 

 ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, acuminate, to 18 cm. long and 7 cm. wide, sharply 

 serrate, glabrous to hirtellous or rarely canescent beneath (especially along the 

 veins); cymes flat, to 35 cm. broad, the branches and pedicels glabrous or rarely 

 hispidulous; flowers white, about 5 mm. broad, fragrant; fruit purple-black, 4-5 

 mm. in diameter. 



In wet soil in low places, especially along streams and on edge of swamps, 

 mainly in e. and cen. Tex., rare in Panhandle, and Okla. (Woodward Co.), May- 

 July; from N.S. and Que., w. to Man. and S.D., s. to Fla. and Tex. 



The edible fruits are used in the making of jellies, pies and wine. 



Those plants with leaflets densely canescent beneath have been segregated as 

 var. submoUis Rehd. 



3. Sambucus glauca Nutt. Blue elder-berry. 



Shrub of clustered erect stems to 7 m. tall, rarely taller, sprouting freely 

 from the base, the main stems usually less than 15 cm. in diameter, the young 

 stems and branches brown and sometimes glaucous; leaflets 5 to 9, often long- 

 petiolulate, oblong-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, tapering at the acuminate 

 apex, rounded at the strongly asymmetrical base, to 16 cm. long and 35 mm. 

 wide, pale beneath, rather thick, serrate, glabrous or sparingly to densely tomen- 

 tose; cymes flat-topped, to 3 dm. broad; flowers pale-yellow or creamy-white, 5-6 

 mm. wide; fruit 5-6 mm. in diameter, dark-blue or blackish, when fully ripe 

 covered with a dense white bloom. S. caerulea Raf., S. neomexicana Woot. 



1559 



