Sambucus nigra
Tracheophyta
›Magnoliopsida›Caprifoliaceae›Sambucus›Sambucus nigra
Ecology
A deciduous shrub or small tree of fertile soils in a wide range of habitats including woodland, hedgerows, grassland, scrub, waste ground, roadsides and railway banks. It is resistant to rabbit grazing and often occurs around warrens. 0-470 m (above Nenthead, Cumberland).
Status
Native
Trends
The current range of S. nigra is similar to that shown in the 1962 Atlas. It may have been originally introduced at some sites, but it is often impossible to distinguish native and alien occurrences, especially as it has often spread naturally by bird-sown seeds. In N. Scotland it is often restricted to the vicinity of human settlements.
World Distribution
European Temperate element; widely naturalised outside its native range.
© H. Higgins, IWNHAS
Newbridge Moor
© H. Higgins, IWNHAS
The Moor, SZ413869
© H. Higgins, IWNHAS
Broad Habitats
Light (Ellenberg): 6
Moisture (Ellenberg): 5
Reaction (Ellenberg): 7
Nitrogen (Ellenberg): 7
Salt Tolerance (Ellenberg): 0
January Mean Temperature (Celsius): 3.6
July Mean Temperature (Celsius): 14.7
Annual Precipitation (mm): 1061
Height (cm): 1000
Perennation - primary
Perennial
Life Form - primary
Mega-, meso- and microphanerophyte
Woodiness
Woody
Clonality - primary
Little or no vegetative spread
Count of 10km squares in Great Britain: 2457
Count of 10km squares in Ireland: 919
Count of 10km squares in the Channel Isles: 14
Atlas Change Index: -0.75
Weighted Changed Factor: -4
Weighted Change Factor Confidence (90%)
10
JNCC Designations
NBNSYS0000004324