Adoxaceae

Muskroot Family

Elderberries

FAMILY: Muskroot family (Adoxaceae) – Sambucus genus. The Sambucus genus has often been placed in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) and may eventually be placed in the viburnum family (Viburnaceae). Currently, the fourth release by the APG (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) treats the muskroot family as a tribe within the viburnum family, but other naming authorities still recognize the Adoxaceae as a family.

SPECIES: All southwestern species of the Sambucus genus are edible. Scientific names in this genus have changed several times over the years, and they will likely change in the future. #1 American, Canadian, Mexican, common, eastern, or black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. ssp. canadensis (L.) R. Bolli = Sambucus canadensis L. = Sambucus mexicana C. Presl ex DC.). #2 blue or velvet elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. ssp. cerulea (Raf.) R. Bolli = Sambucus cerulea Raf. = Sambucus neomexicana Wooton = Sambucus velutina Durand & Hilg.). #3 western red elderberry or Rocky Mountain elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L. var. melanocarpa (A. Gray) McMinn = Sambucus melanocarpa A. Gray). #4 mountain red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L. var. microbotrys (Rydb.) Kearney & Peebles = Sambucus microbotrys Rydb.). #5 hairy red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L. var. pubens (Michx.) Koehne = Sambucus pubens Michx.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! All parts of elderberry shrubs except for the flowers and ripe fruits (berry-like drupes) are poisonous. Ripe fruits of all species listed above are edible. In addition, flowers of American black elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) and blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea) are edible. Consuming any of these parts uncooked is inadvisable. Red-fruited species are controversial wild foods. Some references indicate their fruits are edible, while others indicate they are poisonous. Moerman (p. 239) cites numerous Native American tribes that ate red, blue, and black elderberries. Fresh elderberries, especially red ones, can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, mainly due to harmful compounds in the seeds. Native Americans were well aware of this fact and wise to cook the fruits, limit consumption, strain out the seeds, or spit out the seeds. Tilford (p. 54) indicates that the poisonous principal (hydrocyanic acid) can be eliminated by thoroughly cooking the fruits or straining out the seeds. Cooking is the more practical method. Red elderberries generally have a higher concentration of this poison than blue or black elderberries. Krumm (pp. 34-39) advises against consuming red elderberries. Turner (1995 pp. 67-68) describes how red elderberries were traditionally gathered and prepared into cakes by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Usage of red elderberries was undoubtedly widespread despite their potential toxicity. Usage of blue and black elderberries was even more widespread, as these darker-colored fruits are clearly the more preferable choice.

Blue elderberry (based on S. nigra ssp. cerulea) produces fruits that taste far superior to those of red elderberry. Blue elderberries taste more like fruits than vegetables, rather than vice versa. The flavor is sweet, plum-like, and almost free of foul accents. Seeds inside impart a delicate crunch. As the name indicates, the fruits are blue. A dusty white coating covers the surfaces. Syrup made by juicing the fruits and concentrating the juice is fantastic. It can even be purchased in grocery stores. Blue elderberries require ideal conditions for dehydration to be successful. They also need to be chopped prior to drying. Otherwise, they tend to rot. Blue elderberry shrubs bloom over a long period of time. Fruits are likewise produced over an equally long period of time, so the gathering season is generous, ranging from late summer to late autumn. The shrubs are conspicuous in bloom, but finding them when the fruits are ready is a little more challenging. Late-blooming flowers help identify good gathering areas. Grazing animals frequently dine on elderberries, so the lower branches tend to disappear. Overall, blue elderberries are an extraordinary resource that we can all be thankful for.

Red elderberry (based on S. racemosa var. microbotrys) produces bland fruits with minimal sweetness and tartness. The peculiar flavor is characteristic of honeysuckle fruits. Small seeds inside impart a delicate crunch, but keep in mind that these seeds are dangerous. Red elderberries are remarkably bug free and disease free. Apparently, they have good natural defenses, which isn’t necessarily good news to foragers. Bugs avoid things for a reason, and that reason is usually because those things are poisonous. Flower remnants of red elderberries usually fall off before the fruits mature, but a few may persist as crowns. Skins of the fruits frequently split open to reveal their whitish interiors. Only the exteriors are red. The fruits readily detach from the clusters by the thousands, so gathering them in substantial quantities couldn’t be much easier. After gathering and washing, boiling improves the flavor, eliminates any foul accents, drives off harmful compounds, and promotes digestibility. It also draws out tartness and produces a fairly pleasant, pinkish-red broth. Based on cooking dynamics, red elderberries should be suitable for most recipes calling for berries. Dried red elderberries are sweet, tart, crunchy, wrinkled, and dark red. They’re not much different than fresh elderberries, except for being dry. Red elderberry shrubs bloom over a long period of time. Fruits are likewise produced over an equally long period of time, so the gathering season is generous, ranging from late summer to late autumn. Overall, red elderberries are a fair resource, but use caution.

Elderberry flowers (based on both species described above) are fly-pollinated and smell “appropriate” for attracting that particular pollinator. Steeping dissipates the rotting fragrance and produces a light-green tea characterized by a surprisingly pleasant, herbal essence. Tea made from the flowers of red or blue elderberries has very little sweetness or astringency. When fresh flowers are added to salads, similar flavors can be expected. The texture is chewable and free of fibers. Flower clusters can be gathered whole and used whole. Flowers are securely attached to the clusters, but easily managed with scissors. Removing the pedicels would be pointless. They don’t detract from the flavor. Elderberry flowers make a pleasant addition to soup. Dried flowers have very little aroma, which is probably for the better. Once dry, the ovaries turn black while other parts remain unchanged in color. Waiting for the fruits is preferable to harvesting the flowers.

NOTES: During the fieldwork conducted for this reference, I had many opportunities to try red and blue elderberries from a diversity of locations including the beautiful Ruby Mountains of Nevada, Uinta Mountains of Utah, and Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. Blue elderberries consistently tasted better than red elderberries, but variations in flavor within these color groups were minor. Flavor correlated more with ripeness than gathering locations. I also found shrubs fitting descriptions for velvet elderberry and Mexican elderberry, but their fruits failed to mature due to various fates such as drought, fire, and grazing animals.

A 100 gram serving of raw elderberries (species unspecified) contains: 73 kilocalories, 79.80 grams of water, 0.66 g protein, 0.50 g fat, 18.40 g carbohydrates, 0.64 g ash, 38 mg of calcium, 39 mg phosphorus, 5 mg of magnesium, 1.60 mg iron, 0.11 mg zinc, 0.061 mg copper, 0.6 µg selenium, 6 mg sodium, 280 mg potassium, 600 IU vitamin A, 36 mg vitamin C, and other nutrients. Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

IDENTIFICATION: Only 2 species of the Sambucus genus are currently recognized in the United States. The multitudes of species named over the last century have been demoted to subspecies, varieties, or synonyms of these 2 species.

Description of American black and blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra): FORM thornless shrub, tree-like shrub, or small tree about 2-9 meters tall; twigs pithy, surfaces hairless, hairy, or powdery; LEAVES compound; opposite; odd-pinnate; LEAFLETS 3-11; bases uneven; blades lance-shaped; margins serrated; surfaces hairy or hairless; FLOWERS small, numerous, regular, perfect, ovary inferior, and arranged in flat or convex clusters (panicles) about 12-30 cm across; calyces 5-lobed; corollas 5-lobed, creamy white, wheel- or saucer-shaped; styles 1; stigmas 3-5; stamens 5; FRUITS drupes berry-like, juicy, blue, purple, or black, and arranged in clusters; surfaces with or without a dusty coating; seeds 1-5; HABITAT valleys, canyons, and mountains throughout the West; blooming May to September. NOTES: American black elderberry (S. nigra ssp. canadensis) typically has shiny black fruits without a dusty coating, 5-9 leaflets, and a shrub-like form. In the Southwest, it’s often called Mexican elderberry (formerly S. mexicana) and typically has dusty black fruits, 3-7 leaflets, and a tree-like form. Blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea) is typically a shrub-like species with dusty blue fruits and 5-11 leaflets. A similar species with hairy twigs and hairy leaflets is velvet elderberry (formerly called S. velutina), and New Mexico elderberry (formerly called S. neomexicana) differs from all of these by having longer, narrower leaflets. Differentiating these forms is often impossible.

Description of red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa): FORM thornless shrub about 5-22 dm tall; twigs pithy, surfaces hairless, hairy, or powdery; LEAVES compound; opposite; odd-pinnate; LEAFLETS 5-9; bases uneven; blades lance-acuminate; margins serrated; surfaces hairless; FLOWERS small, numerous, regular, perfect, ovary inferior, and arranged in dense, dome-shaped, cone-shaped, pyramid-shaped, or strongly convex clusters (panicles) about 4-12 cm long terminating the branches; calyces 5-lobed; corollas 5-lobed, creamy white, wheel- or saucer-shaped; styles 1; stigmas 3-5; stamens 5; FRUITS berry-like drupes, red to reddish-black, juicy, without a waxy coating, and arranged in dense clusters; seeds 1-5; HABITAT mountains throughout the West; blooming June to August. NOTES: The following 3 varieties have been recognized in the Southwest: microbotrys with hairless leaflets, pubens with hairy leaflets, and melanocarpa with reddish-black fruits (the first two varieties have bright red fruits).

REFERENCES: #1 American black elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis = S. canadensis): flowers and berries Brill (pp. 103-105). #2 blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea = S. cerulea): flowers Brill (pp. 103-105); berries Brill (pp. 103-105), Couplan (pp. 402-404), Krumm (pp. 34-39), Kuhnlein (pp. 145-149), Tilford (p. 54), and Turner (1995 pp. 67-68). #3 Rocky Mountain elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa = S. melanocarpa): berries Couplan (pp. 402-404). #4 mountain red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. microbotrys = Sambucus microbotrys): berries Couplan (pp. 402-404). #5 hairy red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. pubens = Sambucus pubens): berries Couplan (pp. 402-404) and Moerman (p. 240).