Sambucus racemosa is a species of
elderberry known by the common names red elderberry[2] and red-berried elder.[3]
Distribution and habitat
It is native to Europe, northern temperate Asia, and North America across
Canada and the
United States.[1] It grows in
riparian environments,
woodlands, and other
habitats, generally in moist areas.[4]
Description
Sambucus racemosa is often a treelike
shrub growing 2–6 m (7–20 ft) tall. The stems are soft with a
pithy center.
Each individual leaf is composed of 5 to 7 leaflike leaflets, each of which is up 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 odor when crushed.[5]
The
inflorescence is a vaguely cone-shaped
panicle of several cymes of flowers blooming from 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
hummingbirds and
butterflies.[4]
The fruit is a bright red or sometimes purple
drupe containing 3 to 5 seeds.
The fruits are reportedly safe to eat[17] when cooked, but are potentially poisonous when raw. They were cooked in a variety of recipes by indigenous peoples, including by the
Apache, Bella Coola,
Gitxsan,
Gosiute,
Makah, Ojibwa,
Quileute,
Skokomish,
Yurok peoples.[4]
The fruits are popular with birds, who also distribute the seeds.[18] The flowers attract
butterflies and
hummingbirds.[4]
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.).
"Sambucus racemosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 October 2015.