? Elder or Elderberry
American Elders in flower, Pamplico, South Carolina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Dipsacales Family: Adoxaceae Genus: Sambucus
Species
See text.

Elder or Elderberry (Sambucus) is a genus of between 5-30 species of fast-growing shrubs or small trees (two species herbaceous), formerly treated in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae, but now shown by genetic evidence to be correctly classified in the moschatel family Adoxaceae. The genus is mainly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with two species in the Southern Hemisphere. Elderberry bloom Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 07:06, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pamplico is a town located in Florence County, South Carolina. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida- Dicots Liliopsida- Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Orders see text Dicotyledons or dicots are flowering plants whose seed contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families may not be a complete list Adoxaceae (moschatel family) Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family) Diervillaceae Dipsacaceae (teasel family) Linnaeaceae (twinflower family) Morinaceae Valerianaceae (valerian family) The Dipsacales are an order of flowering plants, included within the asterid group of dicotyledons. ... Genera Adoxa - Moschatel Sambucus - Elder Viburnum - Viburnum The Adoxaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Dipsacales, as now constituted comprising three genera and about 150-200 species. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth A tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Genera See text The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade consisting of about 800 dicotyledonous flowering plants, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution; centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... Genera Adoxa - Moschatel Sambucus - Elder Viburnum - Viburnum The Adoxaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Dipsacales, as now constituted comprising three genera and about 150-200 species. ... Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains four continents (part of Africa, Oceania, most of South America, and Antarctica) and four oceans (South Atlantic...

The leaves are opposite, pinnate, with 5-9 leaflets (rarely 3 or 11), each leaf 5-30 cm long, the leaflets with a serrated margin. They bear large clusters of small white or cream coloured flowers in the late spring, that are followed by clusters of small red, bluish or black (rarely yellow or white) berries. The berries are a very valuable food resource for many birds. Elders are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Brown-tail, Buff Ermine, Dot Moth, Emperor Moth, The Engrailed, Swallow-tailed Moth and The V-pug. The crushed foliage and immature fruit have a strong foetid smell. In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... White is a color (more accurately it contains all the colors of the visible spectrum and is sometimes described as an achromatic color—black is the absence of color) that has high brightness but zero hue. ... Cream is the colour of the cream produced by cattle grazing on natural pasture with plants rich in yellow carotenoid pigments, some of which are incorporated into the cream, to give a slight yellow tone to the white. ... Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms ( flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ... Spring is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... Several types of berries from the market, but none of these are true berries. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Super Families Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Micropterigoidea Heterobathmioidea Eriocranioidea Acanthopteroctetoidea Lophocoronoidea Neopseustoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Hepialoidea Nepticuloidea Incurvarioidea Palaephatoidea Tischeriodea Simaethistoidea Tineoidea Gracillarioidea Yponomeutoidea Gelechioidea Zygaenoidea Sesioidea Cossoidea Tortricoidea Choreutoida Urodoidea Galacticoidea Schreckensteinioidea Epermenioidea Pterophoroidea Aluctoidea Immoidea Axioidea Hyblaeoidea Thyridoidea Whalleyanoidea Pyraloidea Mimallonoidea Lasiocampoidea Geometroidea Drepanoidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidae Hedyloidea Noctuoidea Families About... Binomial name Euproctis chrysorrhoea Linnaeus, 1758 The Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) is a moth of the family Lymantriidae. ... Binomial name Spilosoma luteum Hufnagel, 1766 The Buff Ermine (Spilosoma luteum) is a moth of the family Arctiidae. ... Binomial name Melanchra persicariae Linnaeus, 1761 The Dot Moth (Melanchra persicariae) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. ... Binomial name Pavonia pavonia Linnaeus, 1758 The Emperor Moth (Pavonia pavonia) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. ... Binomial name Ectropis crepuscularia Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 The Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia) is a moth of the family Geometridae. ... Binomial name Ourapteryx sambucaria Linnaeus, 1758 The Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. ... Binomial name Chloroclystis v-ata Haworth, 1809 The V-Pug (Chloroclystis v-ata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. ...

Species groups

• The common elder complex is variously treated as a single species Sambucus nigra found in the warmer parts of Europe and North America with several regional varieties or subspecies, or else as a group of several similar species. The flowers are in flat umbels, and the berries are black to glaucous blue; they are larger shrubs, reaching 5-8 m tall, occasionally small trees up to 15 m tall and with a stem diameter of up to 30-60 cm.
  • Sambucus caerulea (syn. S. glauca; Blueberry Elder; western North America; with blue berries)
  • Sambucus canadensis (American Elder; eastern North America; with blue-black berries)
  • Sambucus mexicana (Mexican Elder; Mexico and Central America; with blue-black berries)
  • Sambucus nigra (Black Elder; Europe and western Asia; with black berries)
  • Sambucus simpsonii (Florida Elder; southeastern United States; with blue-black berries)
  • Sambucus peruviana (Andean Elder; northern South America; with blue-black berries)
  • Sambucus velutina (Velvet Elder; southwestern North America; with blue-black berries)

• The Blackberry Elder Sambucus melanocarpa of western North America is intermediate between the preceding and next groups. The flowers are in rounded panicles, but the berries are black; it is a small shrub, rarely exceeding 3-4 m tall. Some botanists include it in the red-berried elder group, as Sambucus racemosa subsp. melanocarpa.

• The red-berried elder complex is variously treated as a single species Sambucus racemosa found throughout the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere with several regional varieties or subspecies, or else as a group of several similar species. The flowers are in rounded panicles, and the berries are bright red; they are smaller shrubs, rarely exceeding 3-4 m tall.
  • Sambucus callicarpa (Pacific Coast Red Elder; west coast of North America)
  • Sambucus chinensis (Chinese Red Elder; eastern Asia, in mountains)
  • Sambucus microbotrys (Mountain Red Elder; southwest North America, in mountains)
  • Sambucus pubens (American Red Elder; northern North America)
  • Sambucus racemosa (European Red Elder or Red-berried Elder; northern Europe, northwest Asia)
  • Sambucus sieboldiana (Japanese Red Elder; Japan and Korea)
  • Sambucus tigranii (Caucasus Red Elder; southwest Asia, in mountains)
  • Sambucus williamsii (North China Red Elder; northeast Asia)

• The Australian elder group comprises two species from Australasia, the only Southern Hemisphere occurrence of the genus. The flowers are in rounded panicles, and the berries white or yellow; they are shrubs growing to 3 m high.
  • Sambucus australasica (Yellow Elder; New Guinea, eastern Australia)
  • Sambucus gaudichaudiana (Australian Elder or White Elder; shady areas of south eastern Australia)

• The dwarf elders are by contrast to the other species herbaceous plants, producing new stems each year from a perennial root system; they grow to 1.5-2 m tall, each stem terminating in a large flat umbel which matures into a dense cluster of glossy berries.
  • Sambucus adnata (Asian Dwarf Elder; Himalaya and eastern Asia; berries red)
  • Sambucus ebulus (European Dwarf Elder; central and southern Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia; berries black )

Black Elder (Sambucus nigra) World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Umbels on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. ... White-fruited Rowan (Sorbus glabrescens) corymb; note the branched structures holding the fruits. ... Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Oceania. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Binomial name Sambucus ebulus L. Danewort (Sambucus ebulus), also known as Dwarf Elder or European Dwarf Elder, is a herbaceous species of elder, native to southern and central Europe and southwest Asia. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

American Elder flowers Elderflowers This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

Elderberry fruit heads, Yauhanna, South Carolina Elderberry fruit Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 07:08, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Uses

Both flowers and berries can be made into wine, and in Hungary an elderberry brandy is produced (requiring 50 kg of fruit to produce 1 litre of brandy). The berries are best not eaten raw as they are mildly poisonous, causing vomiting (particularly if eaten unripe). The mild cyanide toxicity is destroyed by cooking. The berries can also be made into jam or pies. Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of grapes and grape juice. ... Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. ... Raw describes material that is in its natural unprocessed form, or has not had the final stages of processing. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ... A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the cyano group C≡N, with the carbon atom triple-bonded to the nitrogen atom. ... Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. ... Jam from berries Jam is a type of fruit preserve made by boiling fruit with sugar to make an unfiltered jelly. ... A slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie à la mode A pie is a baked dish, with a baked shell usually made of pastry that covers or completely contains a filling of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheeses, creams, chocolate, custards, nuts, or other sweet or savoury ingredient. ...

In Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, the flowers are made into a syrup or cordial (in Romanian: socată), which is diluted with water before drinking. The popularity of this traditional drink has recently encouraged some commercial soft drink producers to introduce elderflower-flavoured drinks. In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... A cordial is any invigorating and stimulating preparation; as, a peppermint cordial. ... Socatǎ is a traditional Romanian soft drink made from elderflower. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ...

A recent study in London has shown Sambucol, an Israeli-made elderberry extract, to be over 99% effective against avian influenza (H5N1) virus in vitro (see AltHealth link below).

Trivia

• "Elderberry Wine" is also the title of an Elton John song from the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
• A famous quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
• The Brewster sisters use elderberry wine to kill off their aged boarders in the popular black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dont Shoot Me Im Only the Piano Player is the seventh album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973 (see 1973 in music). ... Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedy film from 1975. ... Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by Joseph Kesselring, which was made into a film by director Frank Capra. ...

External links

• National Institute of Health - Medline page on Sambucus nigra L.
• AltHealth link to Sambucol study
• Liber Herbarum II on Sambucus nigra