Sambucus nigra

Sambucus nigra is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Viburnaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry fertile soils, primarily in sunny locations. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree. Both the flowers and the berries have a long tradition of culinary use, primarily for cordial and wine. Although the plant is commonly used in dietary supplements and traditional medicine, there is no scientific evidence that it provides any significant health benefit.

Description

A small tree or bush. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows up to 6-10 m high. The bark is light grey. It has brown warty lenticels. It has stout shoots. The leaves have 5-7 leaflets and the edges toothed. The leaves are 25 cm long. The flowers are musk-scented and in flattened heads. These are 20 cm across. It has a small black fruit. These are round and glossy. They are 8 mm across. They hang down in bunches. There are 3 oval brown seeds.

Edible Uses

The fruit, about 8mm in diameter and borne in large clusters, can be eaten raw or cooked, though many find the raw flavour unappealing. Drying the fruit reduces its bitterness. It is widely used in jams, preserves, pies, sauces, chutneys, and wine, and also adds flavour and colour to these preparations. Some caution is advised regarding toxicity. The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked and may also be dried for later use. Crisp, somewhat juicy, and aromatically flavoured, they make a refreshing snack and can be used to impart a muscatel flavour to stewed fruits, jellies, and jams — particularly gooseberry jam. The flowers are also commonly used to make sparkling wine, and a sweet tea can be made from the dried flowers. The leaves are used to give a green colouring to oils and fats.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are used for jams and drinks. They are also used for wine. They are high in Vitamin C. The flowers can be eaten cooked. They are added to salads and made into fritters fried with eggs. The flowers have a slightly bitter taste and are used in elder flower cordial. The flowers and leaves are boiled for herbal tea. The seeds are pressed for oil. CAUTION The roots, leaves and stems are reported to be poisonous. The fruit are considered poisonous when green but edible when black.

Medicinal Uses

Elder has a long history as both a household remedy and a herbalist's plant, sometimes called 'the medicine chest of country people.' The flowers are the primary part used in modern herbalism, though all parts have traditional applications. The inner bark, collected from young trees in autumn and best sun-dried, is diuretic, strongly purgative, and emetic in large doses; it is used for constipation and arthritic conditions. An emollient ointment can be made from the green inner bark. The leaves, used fresh or dried (harvested during fine weather in June and July), are purgative, though more nauseous than the bark. They are also diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and haemostatic. Leaf juice is considered a good treatment for inflamed eyes, and a leaf ointment is emollient, used on bruises, sprains, chilblains, and wounds. Fresh flowers are used in the distillation of Elder Flower Water, and can be preserved in salt for later distillation. The water is mildly astringent and a gentle stimulant, used mainly in eye and skin lotions. Dried flowers are diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, galactogogue, and pectoral. An infusion treats chest complaints and inflamed eyes, and serves as a spring tonic and blood cleanser. Externally, flowers are applied in poultices to ease pain and reduce inflammation, and as an ointment to treat chilblains, burns, wounds, and scalds. The fruit is depurative, mildly diaphoretic, and gently laxative. A tea from dried berries is considered a remedy for colic and diarrhoea, and wines and preserves made from the fruit are said to retain its medicinal properties. The pith of young stems is used in treating burns and scalds. The root, no longer commonly used, was historically valued as an emetic and purgative effective against dropsy. A homeopathic remedy made from the fresh inner bark of young branches is used to relieve asthmatic symptoms and spurious croup in children. The German Commission E Monographs approve Sambucus nigra for coughs, bronchitis, fevers, and colds.

Known Hazards

Components of the elderberry plant, including its fruit, contain diverse phytochemicals, such as alkaloids, lectins, and cyanogenic glycosides, which may be toxic if consumed raw. The seeds and all green parts of the plant contain cyanogenic glycosides. Consumption of berries, leaves, bark or stems, if not properly prepared, may cause nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Elderberry plant constituents or products should not be consumed during pregnancy or by people with allergies or gastrointestinal diseases. Elderberry products may cause adverse effects when used with prescription drugs.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It only fruits consistently between 400 m and 1800 m altitude in the tropics. The plant grows up to 2600 m altitude. It can grow in the European Alps up to 1500 m altitude. It is damaged by drought but can tolerate frost. It needs a protected shady position. It grows naturally in temperate regions in the northern hemisphere. It favours soils with a high nitrogen content. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Africa, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Balkans, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central Asia, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Europe, Falklands, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Africa, Norway, Pacific, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine,

Cultivation

A very easily grown plant, it tolerates most soils and situations, growing well on chalk, but prefers a moist loamy soil. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates some shade but fruits better in a sunny position. Tolerates atmospheric pollution and coastal situations. Another report says that it is intolerant of very smoky atmospheres. The elder is very occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties though most of these have been developed for their ornamental value. The sub-species S. nigra alba has white/green fruits that are nicer than the type species and are quite nice raw. The elder also has a very long history of folk use, both medicinally and for a wide range of other uses. All in all it is a very valuable plant to have in the garden. The leaves often begin to open as early as January and are fully open in April. The leaves fall in October/November in exposed sites, later in sheltered positions. Young stems can be killed by late frosts but they are soon replaced from the ground level. Very tolerant of pruning, plants can be cut back to ground level and will regrow from the base. The flowers have a sweet, almost overpowering smell, not exactly pleasant when inhaled near to for it has fishy undertones, but from a distance its musky scent is appealing. Very resistant to the predations of rabbits. The flowers are very attractive to insects. The fruit is very attractive to birds and this can draw them away from other cultivated fruits. The elder is an early colonizer of derelict land, the seed arriving in the defecations of birds and mammals. It is a very good pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. Elderberries are usually harvested in late summer to early autumn, around August to September (Northern Hemisphere), when the berries are fully ripe. Elderberry typically flowers in late spring to early summer, around May to June (Northern Hemisphere), producing clusters of small white or cream-colored flowers. Elderberry is a fast-growing shrub or small tree, reaching heights of 3 to 6 meters (10 to 20 feet) in a few years under optimal conditions. It prefers moist, well-drained soils and can thrive in a variety of environments, including disturbed areas. Sambucus nigra, also known as the European black elderberry, is self-fertile. However, cross-pollination can increase fruit production.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame, where it should germinate in early spring. Stored seed sown in spring will likely germinate better with 2 months warm followed by 2 months cold stratification. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle. If growth is good, young plants can go into permanent positions in early summer; otherwise, overwinter them in a sheltered nursery bed or in pots and plant out the following spring. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7–10cm with a heel, can be taken in July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood from the current season's growth, 15–20cm with a heel, can be taken in late autumn in a frame or sheltered outdoor bed. Suckers can also be divided during the dormant season.

Other Uses

Elderberry is useful in agroforestry for attracting pollinators and wildlife, as a hedge or windbreak, and in riparian plantings for erosion control. The plant is a valuable compost heap addition — its flowers are an alternative ingredient in 'QR' herbal compost activator, and nearby roots improve fermentation of the compost heap. The leaves act as an effective insect repellent when rubbed on skin, and can be powdered and placed among plants as a deterrent or made into an insecticidal spray by boiling 3–4 handfuls of leaves in a litre of water, straining, cooling, and applying. This preparation is effective against many insects and also treats fungal problems such as leaf rot and powdery mildew. Dried flowering shoots repel insects and rodents. The flowers are used in skin lotions, oils, and ointments. The species tolerates salt-laden gales and can be grown as a shelter hedge in exposed maritime locations, though it is bare in winter. It functions well as a pioneer species in woodland establishment, being tough, wind-resistant, and fast-growing, providing shelter for longer-lived species while generally persisting in sunnier spots within maturing woodland. Dyes are obtained from several parts: the fruit and bark yield dyes, the bark of older branches and the root contribute to black dye, the leaves yield a green dye with alum as mordant, and the berries produce blue and purple shades and have been used as a hair dye to turn hair black. The blue pigment from the fruit acts as a litmus indicator, turning green in alkaline solutions and red in acid ones. The hollow stems of young branches have been used as pipes for blowing air into fires and for making musical instruments. The pith of the wood is used for making microscope slides and treating burns and scalds. The mature wood is white and fine-grained, easily cut and polished, and valued for making skewers, mathematical instruments, and toys. The plant provides forage for mule deer, elk, sheep, and small birds, and offers nesting habitat for hummingbirds, warblers, and vireos. Elderberries are a favoured food for migrating band-tailed pigeons in northern California.

Production

It bears fruit all year round. The fruit are usually dried to remove the bitter taste before using. The flowering season is short in colder areas in Europe but is extended in warmer climates. The flowers can be picked and left in heaps to warm for a few hours before the petals separate. These are then sifted and dried.

Other Information

Plants are fairly common in the highlands of Papua New Guinea but the fruit are rarely used. It is a cultivated plant. It is foraged and used in restaurants in Sweden.

Notes

There are about 25 Sambucus species. Also put in the family Sambucaceae.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

VERY TOXIC

Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Jakec

Safe

European Elderberry

Sambucus nigra

Woman's International Exhibition (1900 : London, England) Kiralfy, Imre, 1845-1919 Spottiswoode & Co., publisher (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pokeweed: Thick red/purple herbaceous stems (no bark), berries in a line (raceme), simple large leaves, large white taproot.

European Elderberry: Woody bark, berries in broad flat clusters (cymes), compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bazga, Bez, Bezas, Bez cerny, Bozel, Chaouk, Cheren baz, Cierna baza, črni bezeg, Czarny bez, Didgula, Fabodza, Grand sureau, Murver, Must leeder, Sambucas, Sambuco, Sabuco, Sambugu, Sauco, Savucu, Schwarzer holunder, Soc negru, Svarthyll, Svirchovina, Syoeu ne, Vlier, Zoha, Zovina

References (104)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 545
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 86
• Barreau, A., et al, 2016, How Can We Teach Our Children if We Cannot Access the Forest? Generational Change in Mapuche Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in Andean Temperate Ecosystems of Chile. Journal of Ethnobiology 36(2): 412–432
• Benvenuti, S. & Mazzoncini, M., 2021, The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits. Frontiers in Plant Science Article 569499.

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