Elder
Common name: Elder
Scientific name: Sambucus nigra
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Special
Elder
can be used in many ways. Firstly, the flowers are edible and make good
fritters. Secondly, the flowers make a good soft drink. Take 12 flowerheads
and add to 2kg sugar and 500ml vinegar in 10 litres of water. Keep in
a warm place and wait a few days. And finally, the fruits produce a good
jam, juice or wine.
Many fungi grow on trees or dead branches. One, which is mostly seen on elder (and is edible!) resembles an ear – hence its name Tree’s Ear (Auricularia auricula).
Leaves
The
leaves consist of 5-7 leaflets, in pairs with a single end leaflet. Each
leaflet is elliptical with regular teeth and a sharp tip. The top of
the leaflets is dark green and matt. The underside is paler.
Flowers
Masses
of creamy white flowers appear in June. They have a sweet smell that
attracts many insects.
Fruits
The
berries ripen from green to purple-black and are about 5-7mm in diameter.
Ripening in September, they can be quickly eaten by thrushes and starlings.
Each berry contains vitamins and minerals, but they are not suitable for eating raw. They won’t cause any digestive problems when cooked.
Bark
The
bark is greyish-brown. Young bark contains a lot of 'warts' called lenticels.
As the bark becomes older, it develops deep creases.
The young branches are very brittle and filled with a creamy-white pithy tissue used for holding plant material if you want to cut it into very thin slices (for viewing under the microscope for example). The hollow branches make a good musical instrument!
Habitat
Normally,
elder needs a rich and damp soil. Its natural habitat is on river banks
and in wet woodlands.
Nowadays you find elder almost anywhere. It is a very common shrub, often colonising new open ground. It is even found growing through gaps in paving or walls.