1736 Sambucus racemosa L.

This polymorphic species is widely distributed in Eurasia and N. America. It includes several taxa, some of them occasionally regarded as species. Here they are distinguished as subspecies, viz. subsp. racemosa in Europe and Asia Minor, cultivated and spread by birds in N. Germany and Fennoscandia, subsp. sibirica (Nakai) Rara in large parts of N. and C. Asia, subsp. manchurica (Kitag.) in E. Asia., subsp. coreana (Nakai) Kom. & Aliss. in Korea, subsp. sieboldiana (Miq.) Rara in Japan, Korea and China, subsp. kamtschatica Hult. in Kamtchatka and the N. American subsp. pubens (Michx) Hult. with, for instance, var. microbothrys (Rydb.) Kearn. & Peebl. in the Rocky Mts. The species s. lat. has a circumpolar distribution (Hultén, Circumpol. Il, p. 154, 367 and map 145). The species has been sparsely introduced into New Zealand.