Sambucus Genetic Resources at the US National Clonal Germplasm Repository

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR-Corvallis) preserves the genetic diversity of elderberry (Sambucus spp.). This genebank preserves representatives of seven of the nine major world Sambucus species and 50 cultivars, including genotypes selected for fruit, as well as ornamental gold, purple, and cut-leaf forms. The priority emphasis of the collection is to maintain diverse species and edible cultivars. Recent USDA plant collecting trips in the Russian Far East, Republic of Georgia, Armenia, and Japan have obtained seed accessions of Sambucus. The genebank collection includes plant material from 31 different countries, with most accessions stemming from the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The primary clonal collection is preserved as plants in a field genebank, and seedlots of wild-collected material that are stored at -20 degrees C, thus preserving species diversity. Recent evaluation projects have documented horticultural morphological descriptors and phytochemical fruit components for selected American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) individuals. Origin and evaluation information are maintained on the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), which is a publicly accessible database. Orders for limited propagules for research purposes can be placed through GRIN. Import permits may be required for non-US requestors.