AMERICAN BLACK ELDERBERRY

AMERICAN BLACK ELDERBERRY FLOWER PANICLE AND FEATHER COMPOUND LEAF

...SHRUB...

...BERRIES (Google photo)

Friday, 8:30 AM.  56 degrees F at the ferry dock, 51 on the back porch (48 at 7:00 AM).  Wind SW, calm with occasional light gusts.  The humidity is 81%, the barometer is falling gently, now at 30.28", predicting a chilly and rainy weekend.  Aah, summer.
   The Almanac post of July 7, 2017 discussed at some length the red elderberry, Sambucus pubens, in the Honeysuckle Family; today's will be about S. canadensis, American black elderberry, which is much better known to most folks than the red.  It is closely related to the European elderberry, S nigra, in fact some authorities consider it a variety thereof.  It's flower heads are much larger than those of the red elderberry, and the edible fruits are black.
   S. canadensis is widely distributed in the wild throughout the United States; red elderberry is more prominent or replaces it in the far north, and I see none of the black elderberry growing wild around Bayfield, only the red.  The black elderberry pictured is part of a city landscape planting.
   Black elderberry fruit is prized for making elderberry wine, and also for jams and jellies.  Years ago we used to pick the flowers and dip them in pancake mix and fry them and I remember them as being very tasty.
   There is a lot of controversy over the edibility of the raw fruit of both the red and the black elderberry, with their tiny seeds (which contain cyanide), and some authorities consider them poisonous unless cooked. I have eaten both red and black elderberry raw fruits and seeds with no ill effects, but don't take my word for it.  As regards the red berries, the birds get most of them anyway.
   Poisonous or not, elderberries have a long medicinal history, and are considered an anti-oxident, immune system stimulant and tonic, and useful in treating colds and flu.  One source says the common name elderberry may refer to its use by "elders" for the relief of arthritis. Elderberries have essentially the same uses in American Indian and settler herbal traditions.  In any case, elderberry extract is a rather popular panacea.
   Sambuca is an anise-elderberry cordial quite popular in Italy (also New York Italian restaurants), usually served with, in or after coffee, or with coffee beans in the drink glass.
   There are other species of elderberry, including a blue elderberry native to desert regions of the US and Mexico, which were a food source for native peoples.  Sambucus stems have a soft pith and are easily hollowed out to make flutes and whistles, and the Latin genus name refers to an ancient flute-like musical instrument.
   All in all,  Sambucus is a fascinating and useful genus of plants.