Floral Morphology and Phenology Traits of Sambucus australis Cham. & Schltdl. Growing Spontaneously on the Buenos Aires Waterfront

Abstract

The southern elderberry (Sambucus australis Cham. & Schltdl.), whose berries have highlightedfunctional properties, is native to temperate regions of eastern South America andis found growing spontaneously at the Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (RECS) in BuenosAires, Argentina. This study aimed to describe the development of the flower bud to ripefruit of S. australis in the agro-ecological conditions of the RECS, evaluate the differentfloral phases in relation to climatic factors, and identify the visiting insects that could actas potential pollinators. Flowers have all the organs to classify them as hermaphrodites;functionally, some flowers have shortly stamens without pollen and others have a nonfunctionalovule. Male and female flowers exhibited substantial synchronization, with theappearance of button flowers and anthesis phases occurring either simultaneously or veryclosely. On the other hand, it adapts to climatic changes that may occur by modifying thedates of the start of flowering and the maximum expression of the anthesis phase. Rainfallsignificantly influenced the opening of flower buds, the number of flowers in anthesis, andthe harvest of the fruits of this species. Visiting insects which could perform pollinationhave been identified.