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Sambucus
Also called Elderberry, Elders, Elderberries
Sambucus is a genus of 20 to 30 species of fast-growing shrubs or small trees, grown for their white flower clusters, berries and lacy foliage. Commonly grown members include European elder, American elder and red-berried elder, and they thrive in most open, sunny sites.
Sambucus is a genus of between 20 and 30 species of flowering plants in the family Viburnaceae. The various species are commonly referred to as elder, with the flowers as elderflower, and the fruit as elderberry. The genus is represented by species native to temperate and subtropical climates in most parts of the world, including Eurasia, the Americas, Africa and Australia, and has been introduced to other regions of similar climates.
Traditional uses of Sambucus involved berries, seeds, leaves, and flowers or component extracts. Ornamental varieties of Sambucus are grown in gardens for their showy flowers, fruits and lacy foliage which support habitat for wildlife. Of the many native species, three are used as ornamentals: S. canadensis, S. nigra, and S. racemosa.
Some species of the Sambucus genus produce toxic berries, leaves, roots, and stems. Leaves, twigs, branches, seeds, roots, flowers, and berries of some Sambucus plants produce cyanogenic glycosides, which have toxic properties. Ingesting a sufficient quantity of cyanogenic glycosides from berry juice, flower tea, or beverages made from fresh leaves, branches, and fruit has been shown to cause illness, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and weakness. In August 1983, a group of 25 people in Monterey County, California, became ill after ingesting elderberry juice pressed from fresh, uncooked S. mexicana berries, leaves, and stems. The concentration of cyanogenic glycosides is higher in tea made from flowers (or leaves) than from the berries.
The berries and leaves of the species Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis have been shown to lack cyanogenic glycosides. In a 2021 scientific analysis, commercial elderberry juice made from Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis in Illinois, USA, had no trace of those glycosides.
The genus is represented by species native to most parts of the world, including Eurasia, the Americas, Africa and Australia, and has been distributed to other temperate and subtropical climates. It is more widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, with its Southern Hemisphere occurrence restricted to parts of Australasia and South America. Many species are widely cultivated for their ornamental leaves, flowers, and fruit.
The cooked berries (pulp and skin) of most species of Sambucus are edible.
American Elder · Blue elderberry · Dwarf Elder · Chinese Elder · Elder · Red-berried Elder
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sambucus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
