Please refer to one of the trusted sources listed below for positive elderberry identification. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? They typically grow in large, drooping clusters. Start, Elderberry Identification: Learn the difference between elderberry and plants that some people might mistake for elderberry, « Try these Strawberry Companion Plants for the Best Harvest Ever, What to Stock in Your Healthy Kitchen So You’re Always Prepared  ». It involved months of research, dozens of interviews, and a ton of kitchen experiments. If you’re on a local email list, see if anyone in your area knows where they grow. NEVER EAT the Stems, Roots, Green Berries or Red Elderberries, Raw or Cooked! Two types of elderberry not generally recommended for consumption Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) in North America and dwarf elderberry (Sambucus ebulus) in Europe. One easy way to tell them apart: The flower head and berry clusters of the red elderberry are conical (like a cone) rather than flat like elderberry, as the photos below show. Dwarf elder is also sometimes mistaken for common elder. The leaves are compound leaves that are arranged always with two compound leaves growing opposite of each other. Though they have been used medicinally in the past (often as emetics, meaning they make you vomit), foraging experts recommend avoiding them. That’s in large part because people use the word “poisonous” in rather different ways. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; The flowers and ripe, cooked fruits are edible. It can cause bad burns on your skin, so give it wide berth if you see it. So please remember: Just because you see dark berries or pretty flower sprays does NOT mean you’ve found an elderberry. This is fantastic info! So much easier than hauling a few miles away only to find the birds have cleared all the ripe ones and only green ones remain! For human consumption you need the black elderberry, Sambucus canadensis. Find more recommended products here. racemose), which seems to be the variety that gets a bad rap for being poisonous, is as edible as the other elderberry varieties. Depending on where you live, you will likely find different types of elderberry plants growing wild near you. Edible: Leaves Good Fall color Leaves fragrant Gold foliage Evergreen Bark Showy: Wildlife value Attract hummingbirds Attract butterflies Attract birds Poisonous Foliage Fruit : Description With its lacy foliage, large white flower clusters and brilliant red berry clusters, Red Elderberry is a showy shrub that makes a wonderful addition to the native plant garden. A decent number of other plants out there have purple berries or clusters of tiny white flowers, and some are poisonous. Some wild plants are quite poisonous, so it’s very important to learn the difference between them and the lovely elderberries or elderflowers you seek. Ever found elderberry growing in your foraging expeditions? The University of Wisconsin at Green Bay Herbarium lists the berries as not edible. Glad you found this information helpful! You can see what they look like here. Tip: Elderberries are edible and are often used in recipes and homeopathic remedies. However, as mentioned before, they can be toxic if not cooked properly, or if the other parts of the plants are consumed. Many birds eat the berries including thrushes, robins, grouse, and pigeons. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; To find out more about what research tells us about elderberry’s effect on health, expert growing advice, plus 62 delicious recipes for using your elderflowers and elderberries, pick up a copy of Everything Elderberry, available for preorder now. Be sure to check out all the awesome elderberry and elderflower products these growers make as well. Elderberries are green then turn black when they ripen and are about the size of a BB. You need to know before you prune whether your variety of elderberry produces fruit on first-year or older canes. Berries can be red in colour but this is less common. racemose), which seems to be the variety that gets a bad rap for being poisonous, is as edible as the other elderberry varieties. Unripe elderberries are poisonous. For all elderberries unripe fruits and any part of the stem, leaf or root are toxic and should not be eaten. Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder. Here are some very detailed write-ups about some plants you don’t want to eat: There are other plants one could mistake for elder if you’re really not paying attention to elderberry’s identifying features. If you buy dried berries or flowers, you may find a decent amount of stem material, so be sure to pick it out. However, the seeds of the red elderberry contain hydrocyanic acid, leading to cyanide so if you eat them in abundance, you will get very sick…or die. But if the berries are boiled for at least 15 - … If the plant has spikes or thorns on the stems and branches, it is most likely an aralia plant and you should not eat the berries since they are mildly poisonous. Aralia plants also bear purple, fleshy fruit that can look similar to elderberries. If you want to get some of the less widely-available varieties (likely not stocked by your local nurseries), you may need to pre-order in fall. Mom pointed out a copse of elderberry bushes along the side of our property. You can get yours by filling in the form below. Such foods are not considered additives in the European Union, even when they are only used for the purpose of coloring. Squirrels, mice, raccoons, and bears also eat the fruit. They've been comestibles, beverages, and medicine, as well as aesthetic ornamentation. Elderberries are particularly rich in flavonoids, especially anthocyanins. Cerulea berries have a more blue than purple-black color and typically have a whitish coating of a naturally-occurring yeast, great if you want to make elderberry wine. Red Elderberries. People who haven’t done much foraging don’t always realize how many plants bear similarities to one another, and they assume if they’ve found a purple-black berry that it’s ok to eat. I created this post to share my own discoveries about the Red Elderberry and foster some further discussion in the comments below about the edible and toxic parts of … While most species of elderberries are edible when cooked, the other parts of the plant, including leaves, stems, and roots, are toxic to humans. This one is a good one to learn about and to harvest each year. Find out more and grab your copy here. Cerulea grows more in the western half of the United States and tends to have a more tree-like shape than the shrubby canadensis. The unripe berries and the seeds in the ripe berries contain the toxic substance, which means that the berries shouldn’t be eaten raw. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out the plants and cuttings you can get from local growers or from these wonderful elderberry farms, which will ship cuttings in late winter and plants in early spring: If you’re reading this later in the winter, you may find that their cuttings and plants are already out of stock. You've come to the right place! More about me and my green projects here. Chinese privet also has long sprays of white flowers. They are a strong antioxidant and both the flowers and the berries can be used to improve our health and prevent the flu. Elderberries are one of the easiest and most versatile shrubs to grow in your edible landscape. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, some people are very sensitive to smaller amounts of these compounds, and to avoid severe stomach upset, they should consume only cooked berries, and those only in moderation. Why? What a resource to stumble upon! We have both red and blue elderberries in Utah and both are valuable and edible. Always make sure you have permission, whether on public or private land. Each of these has different U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones where they will thrive. Cooked ripe elderberries are perfectly edible. But those compounds are found in high concentrations in the stems, bark, leaves, and roots, not in the flesh of the berry or flower blossom. (The wild ones in my area tend to be small and lacking in flavor.). Elderberries are one of the most beneficial berries out there in our local wilderness. I’m very excited to learn more. I have some elderberry growing wild on the edge of my conservation area – I’d love to encourage more growth since its so close to my house- do elderberry bushes respond well to pruning? Bears will also eat the foliage and th… Something poisonous may merely make you feel lousy, or it may kill you. Elderberries have lots of culinary uses such as crumbles, pies, jams and liqueurs. Elderberries are full of antioxidants and vitamins, they've been used in a variety of applications throughout history. To positively identify elderberry, you’ll want to consider the plant’s growth habit, bark, and the arrangement of its leaves in addition to the shape of the individual flowers, flower clusters, and the arrangement of berries. After that, plan to prune every year in winter, while the plant is still dormant, which will reduce the risk of introducing disease. Red elderberry is poisonous for humans and should not be eaten. I’m also planting some different varieties in my yard this spring and will write something up on what I find once they’ve gotten established. Elderberries are easy to find in many parts of the world, and they’re really fun to forage. Identify Wild Edible Elderberries Before foraging, learn how to correctly identify American, European, blue, and red elder plants to avoid their toxic look-alikes. Many people keep tabs on such things so care should be observed with this plant of hundreds of form. Where canadensis grows and another showing where cerulea may be surprised how many online photos I ’ found. Foraging adventure more productive plant two growing seasons but the seeds are toxic and should not eaten! Ago, after my wife and I moved to the common black elderberry, Sambucus )! Birds eat the berries can cause nausea so care should be observed with this plant ones... 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