Sambucus peruviana

Sambucus peruviana
Tree in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Adoxaceae
Genus: Sambucus
Species: S. peruviana
Binomial name
Sambucus peruviana
Kunth
Synonyms

Sambucus nigra L. subsp. peruviana (Kunth) Bolli (current name)

Sambucus peruviana, now reclassified as Sambucus nigra subsp. peruviana, [1] with the common names saúco or rayan, is a species native to Central America and South America.

It is a medium-sized, spreading tree or shrub, of the elderberry genus Sambucus.

Distribution

The plant is native to: the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and northwestern Argentina; and to the mountain ranges of Central America in Costa Rica and Panama.[2]

Uses

It is one of the few elderberry species that can be eaten uncooked, and its primary use by humans is as a fruit. Similar to some other elderberry species, the fruits can also be made into jams, syrups, and wines; and the flowers can be made into fritters.

Saúco is used in traditional medicine as a diaphoretic, and for sore throats.[3]

References

Berries of Sambucus nigra subsp. peruviana.
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