Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses - American elderberry

AMERICAN ELDERBERRY

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Sambucus nigra L. var. canadensis (L. ) Bolli

[=Sambucus canadensis L.]

Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 3 - 10 feet

Family: Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family

Flowering Period: May, June, July

Stems:

Erect, usually several, glabrous, somewhat waxy; branches yellowish brown, pith white when young.

Leaves:

Opposite, stalks 2-3.5 inches long, odd-pinnately compound; leaflets 5-9, broadly lanceolate to elliptic, 2-5 inches long, 1-2.75 inches wide, glabrous and dark green above, sometimes pubescent and pale green below; margins toothed; tips tapering to points.

Inflorescences:

Rounded or flat-topped clusters, to 12 inches wide, terminal.

Flowers:

5-parted; calyx lobes minute or absent; corollas tiny, about 1/5 inch wide, creamy white; stamens 5, filaments white, anthers pale yellow.

Fruits:

Berry-like, juicy, about 1/4 inch in diameter, glabrous, dark purple, in drooping clusters; seeds 3-5, nut-like, yellowish.

Habitat:

Moist woodlands, thickets, roadsides, stream banks, and ditches.

Distribution:

Throughout except southwest corner of Kansas.

Toxicity:

The leaves of elderberry are poisonous to cattle and sheep.

Uses:

The berries are a good source of vitamin C and can be eaten raw, cooked, or dried. Juice from the fruits can be made into jelly or wine. Native Americans used elderberry to treat colds, fevers, headaches, indigestion, and rheumatism.

Comments:

Branching shrub. Individual elderberry plants generally live only 3-5 years, but new plants continually arise from the rootstock.

Elderberry flowers