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HERNANDO CHAPTER |
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HERNANDO CHAPTER |
| PLANT PROFILE Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) By: Sharon LaPlante |
| A medium to large shrub in the Caprifoliaceae, or honeysuckle, family.
It is clonal forming and produces dense thickets when it is in its preferred habitat.
It does occasionally become tree-like in stature (15 feet). The branches are weak
and tend to be arching, especially when they are heavy with fruit. Its preferred habitat is wet hammocks, shallow ponds, along streams, margins of swamps & disturbed sites. It can be grown in the home landscape with a little extra watering, or maybe not. Don Robinson grows his elderberry in the sandhills of Spring Hill and has it attain almost champion size. So, don't be afraid to try it in locations other than its preferred habitat. Its leaves are opposite and pinnately compound. The leaflets are toothed and found in numbers of 5-9. The lower leaves may be trifoliate. The small white flowers are born in flat topped clusters. They tend to bloom all year, but their peak blooming time seems to be summer. The flowers are eaten in pancakes and fritters. The small black berries hang in clusters. The berries are eaten by birds & mammals, as well as humans. Elderberry fruit is used for pies, jellies, jams, and wines, not to mention my bread pudding recipe. The unripe berries, bark, root, and leaves can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and should not be ingested. The fruit and flowers should be cooked first if they are going to be consumed in large quantities. The berries are rich in Vitamin C, and also contain Vitamin A, calcium, iron, and potassium. |
| References: Foster, Steven and J. A. Duke. Peterson Field Guides: Medicinal Plants. Houghton Mifflin: Boston 1990 ISBN: 0395920663 (Expanded edition, 1998) Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States: Monocots and Dicots. University of Georgia Press: Athens, GA 1981 ISBN: 0820305324 (Monocotyledons, 1979 edition); ISBN: 0820305324 (Dicotyledons, 1981 edition) Peterson, Lee A. Peterson Field Guides: Edible Plants. Houghton Mifflin: Boston 1977 (Not available through Amazon.com. They do have Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson, Lee A. Peterson, ISBN: 039531870X 1982 edition) Radford, Albert E., H. E. Ahles and C. R. Bell. Manual of Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill, NC. 1964 ISBN: 0807810878 |
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