Sambucus nigra subsp. cerulea Sambucus caerulea Sambucus glauca
Sambucus cerulea or Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea, with the common names blue elderberry and blue elder, is a coarse textured shrub species of elder in the family Adoxaceae.[1][2][3]
Description
Sambucus cerulea is a large, deciduous shrub, which can grow to be 9 metres (30 feet) in height and 6 m (20 ft) in width. It normally grows rather wildly from several stems, which can be heavily pruned (or even cut to the ground) during winter dormancy.
The leaves are hairless, strongly pointed and sharp-toothed. They are elliptical to lanceolate, and the blade extends unequally on the stalk at the base. The leaves are commonly 3โ15 centimetres (1โ6 inches) long and 2โ6 cm (1โ2+1⁄2 in) wide.
The white or creamy coloured flowers, occurring May to June, are numerous and form a flat-topped cluster usually about 5โ20 cm (2โ8 in) wide. They are umbel-shaped, normally with 4 to 5 rays extending from the base. The flowers have a strong, unpleasant odor. Individual flowers are 4โ7 millimetres (1⁄8โ1⁄4 in) wide.
The fruits given are berry-like drupes. They are juicy, round, and approximately 4โ6 mm in diameter. They are bluish-black, with a glaucous powder coating (helping to distinguish them from other elderberries), which lends them a pale powdery blue colour. Each fruit contains 3 to 5 small seed-like stones, each enclosing a single seed.
This species grows at elevations below 3,000 m (9,800 ft), in diverse habitats of mountains and hills, valleys, riparian zones, open places in woodlands and forests, and exposed slopes where moisture is reachable.[2][3]
Toxicity
The raw berries contain a toxin which, if eaten raw, may induce nausea in some people.[7]
Uses
The flower blossoms can be used to make tea. The fruits can be eaten raw (despite containing a toxin),[7] dried, or as jelly.[8]
Native American
The indigenous peoples of North America with the plant in their homelands use the leaves, blossoms, bark, roots, and wood for preparing traditional medicinal remedies, taken internally or applied externally.[9] The fresh, dried, and cooked berries are used for food.[9]
Some tribes used the wood to make musical instruments, such as flutes, clappers, and small whistles;[a] and smoking implements.[9] Soft wood was used as a spindle "twirling stick" to make fire by friction.[9] The bark was used to produce a remedy for fever.[11] Stems and berries were used as a dye for basket weaving materials.[9]
The plant is beneficial in wildlife gardens, its flowers attract pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds, and its berries feed other bird species and chipmunks.[12]
Footnotes
^The genus name comes from the Greek word sambuce, an ancient wind instrument, in reference to the removal of pith from the twigs to make whistles.[10]
^Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers (Eastern Region ed.). Knopf. p. 448. ISBN0-394-50432-1.
