Sambucus racemosa is a species of elder known by the common names red-berried elder and red elderberry. It produces a red drupe. The species is native across much of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant is largely poisonous when raw, but the fruit can be cooked for consumption.
Description Sambucus racemosa is medium-sized shrub growing 2–4 m (7–13 ft) (rarely 6 m (20 ft)) tall. The stems are soft, with a broad pith. Each individual leaf is composed of 5 to 7 leaflike leaflets, each of which is up to 4–8 cm (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄4 in) (rarely to 16 cm (6+1⁄4 in)) long, lance-shaped to narrowly oval, and irregularly serrated along the edges. The leaflets have a strong disagreeable scent when crushed.
The inflorescence is a vaguely cone-shaped panicle 3–6 cm (1+1⁄4–2+1⁄4 in) diameter, consisting of several cymes of flowers and produced on the ends of stem branches. The flower buds are pink when closed, and the open flowers are white, cream, or yellowish. Each flower has small, recurved petals and a star-shaped axis of five white stamens tipped in yellow anthers. The flowers are fragrant and visited by flies (particularly hoverflies), hummingbirds and butterflies. The fruit is a bright red drupe (to purple-black in var. melanocarpa) containing 3 to 5 seeds. It is eaten by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings. Its fruit persists for an average of 42.5 days, and bears an average of 3.0 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 88.0% water, and their dry weight includes 8.3% carbohydrates and 9.0% lipids, which is one of the highest lipid values among European fleshy fruits.
Varieties and subspecies Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa — Rocky Mountain elder, native to the Western United States and Western Canada, including the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada. Sambucus racemosa var. microbotrys (Rydb.) Kearney & Peebles – Southwestern United States Sambucus racemosa subsp. pubens — American red elder, native to North America Sambucus racemosa subsp. racemosa — European red-berried elder. Other subspecies formerly included in S. racemosa include S. racemosa subsp. kamtschatica (now Sambucus kamtschatica), S. racemosa subsp. sibirica (now Sambucus sibirica), and S. racemosa subsp. sieboldiana (now Sambucus sieboldiana).
Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe, northern temperate Asia, and North America across Canada and the United States. It grows in riparian environments, woodlands, and other habitats, generally in moist areas.
Cultivation Sambucus racemosa is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use as a shrub or small tree in traditional and wildlife gardens, and natural landscape design projects. The yellow-foliaged cultivars 'Plumosa Aurea' and 'Sutherland Gold' are widely grown in Britain.
Cultivars Cultivars in the nursery trade include:
Sambucus racemosa 'SMNSRD4' Lemony Lace® — golden green foliage, with red new growth Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold' — green foliage, with bronze new growth: it has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Toxicity The stems, roots and foliage are poisonous, and the fruit can be toxic or cause nausea if eaten raw.
Uses Although potentially poisonous when raw, the berries are reportedly safe to eat when cooked. They were cooked in a variety of recipes by indigenous peoples. The plant has been used as a traditional medicine by North American aboriginal people. The Ahousaht use the timing of red elderberry bloom as an indicator to begin halibut fishing and hunting of gray whales and harbor seals.
Images
References
Bibliography Ehrlén, Johan; Eriksson, Ove (1991). "Phenological variation in fruit characteristics in vertebrate-dispersed plants". Oecologia. 86 (4): 463–470. Bibcode:1991Oecol..86..463E. doi:10.1007/BF00318311. ISSN 0029-8549. PMID 28313326.
External links
Calflora Jepson eFlora, The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley "Taxon Sambucus racemosa profile". Burke Museum. Herbarium. University of Washington. Sambucus racemosa in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
