Red elderberry • Sambucus racemosa var. arborescens, S. racemosa ssp. pubens var. aroborescens
Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - k̓íbát • Nuxalk - k'ipt (berry), ink'iptlhp (tree)
Photos by Christian Kelly (top left, unripe fruit), Andrew Simon (bottom right), and John Reynolds. The leaf-shaped structures are actually leaflets that compose a compound leaf.
Identification
Red elderberry, a shrub or small tree up to 6 m tall, has dark reddish-brown, warty bark. The large leaves are opposite, deciduous and pinnately compound: they are divided into 5-7 leaflets that are 5-15 cm long. The leaflets are pointed, lance-shaped, and sharply toothed. The small, white or creamy flowers have a strong and unpleasant odour. The berries are bright red and each contain 3-5 smooth seeds. Occasionally the berries are yellow or white. Both the flowers and fruits form pyramid-like clusters.
Habitat & Range
Red elderberry grows in moist, fairly open areas: stream banks, swampy thickets, moist clearings and meadows, open forests, ditches, and disturbed sites, from sea level to middle elevations. In BC it is found within and west of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; its range extends north to Alaska and Yukon Territories, and south to California.
Similar Species
Sambucus racemosa ssp. pubens is the North American elderberry subspecies with three varieties in BC. One, var. leucocarpa (eastern red elderberry), is not found along the coast; and another, var. melanocarpa (black elderberry) is infrequent along the south coast of BC and further south.
Sitka mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis) also has pinnately compound leaves as well as clusters of red berries and white flowers. It can be differentiated by leaflet differences: its leaflets are only toothed on the top half, have rounded tips, are smaller, and are oblong to egg-shaped.
Human Uses
Red elderberry fruits are an important traditional food for many coastal First Nations. The berries should always be cooked, as raw berries cause nausea. The berries can be used to make a variety of preserves, including jams and jellies, as well as wine and teas. The flowers are also used to make tea and wine.
WARNING: The stems, bark, leaves, and roots have traditional topical and oral medicinal uses, but are toxic and should not be consumed as they contain glycosides that produce cyanide.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362529-Sambucus-racemosa-pubens
Red elderberry, a shrub or small tree up to 6 m tall, has dark reddish-brown, warty bark. The large leaves are opposite, deciduous and pinnately compound: they are divided into 5-7 leaflets that are 5-15 cm long. The leaflets are pointed, lance-shaped, and sharply toothed. The small, white or creamy flowers have a strong and unpleasant odour. The berries are bright red and each contain 3-5 smooth seeds. Occasionally the berries are yellow or white. Both the flowers and fruits form pyramid-like clusters.
Habitat & Range
Red elderberry grows in moist, fairly open areas: stream banks, swampy thickets, moist clearings and meadows, open forests, ditches, and disturbed sites, from sea level to middle elevations. In BC it is found within and west of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; its range extends north to Alaska and Yukon Territories, and south to California.
Similar Species
Sambucus racemosa ssp. pubens is the North American elderberry subspecies with three varieties in BC. One, var. leucocarpa (eastern red elderberry), is not found along the coast; and another, var. melanocarpa (black elderberry) is infrequent along the south coast of BC and further south.
Sitka mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis) also has pinnately compound leaves as well as clusters of red berries and white flowers. It can be differentiated by leaflet differences: its leaflets are only toothed on the top half, have rounded tips, are smaller, and are oblong to egg-shaped.
Human Uses
Red elderberry fruits are an important traditional food for many coastal First Nations. The berries should always be cooked, as raw berries cause nausea. The berries can be used to make a variety of preserves, including jams and jellies, as well as wine and teas. The flowers are also used to make tea and wine.
WARNING: The stems, bark, leaves, and roots have traditional topical and oral medicinal uses, but are toxic and should not be consumed as they contain glycosides that produce cyanide.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362529-Sambucus-racemosa-pubens
References
Mackinnon, A. et. al. Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. Pp. 124-125.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 59.
Sambucus racemosa L. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 04/11/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Peter Gibbs, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Mackinnon, A. et. al. Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. Pp. 124-125.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 59.
Sambucus racemosa L. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 04/11/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Peter Gibbs, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2014).