RED ELDERBERRY: I'VE GROWN RATHER FOND OF IT

EUROPEAN ELDERBERRY 'BLACK LACE'

RED ELDERBERRY IN FLOWER

AMERICAN ELDERBERRY FLOWER HEAD

Monday, 9:00 AM.  43 degrees F, wind NE, calm to very light.  The sky is completely overcast and it is raining, and we have gotten a third of an inch of rain thus far.  The humidity is 98% and the barometer stands at 29.66".  It looks like it will be a rainy day.  The tree board was to have a work day today but it will be too wet for that.  

   American elderberry, Sambucus canadensis,  is a common, widely distributed shrub of North America to Central America, fairly well known because of the use of its blue- black berries for wine, jams and jellies.  Even the flowers are edible and tasty when dipped in pancake batter and fried.

   Not nearly so well known is the red elderberry, a more northern species that also is an important part of the western montane flora.  It is almost as attractive in flower as the American elderberry, the minute flowers occurring in more compact, cone-shaped umbels than the umbrella-like compound flowers of American elderberry.  And whereas the fruit of the latter species is blue-black, the the fruit of the former is bright red and also edible, although it is quite acid to the taste.  Both species are important wildlife plants, both for browse and for their fruits.  There is some evidence that leaves, stems and roots of both species can be poisonous to humans, but I doubt people would eat those parts so it is not much of a concern..  Elderberry plants have medicinal properties, and were used in a variety of ways by Native Americans.  The central pith of stems and branches is very soft and can easily be removed to make whistles and other useful objects and were so used in the past.  

   Both American and red elderberry are attractive in flower and fruit, as are their pinnately compound leaves.  However, both spread by root suckers and are hard to control in the smaller landscape.  My rule of thumb is, appreciate them in nature if they can be controlled but be careful introducing them.   A case in point is the red elderberry that I have in the backyard.  It grew up between the crevices of a small rock wall and it was so persistent I finally decided that I would let it grow and make use of it rather than to unsuccessfully try to eliminate it.  It is something of an oddity there and I have grown to be rather fond of it.
   The European elderberry, Sambucus nigra,  is also useful for food, wine, and as an anti-viral concoction (long used in folk and herbal medicine) , and there are some very attractive horticultural selections, some with purple leaves and pink-purple flowers, such as 'Black Lace'.
   All in all, the elderberries are interesting and useful plants.