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Sambucus canadensis: American black elderberry

Observed Ecoregions:
Native Ecoregions:
Freshwater Ecoregions:
Source: Wikipedia

Sambucus canadensis
Foliage and fruit
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Tracheophytes
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Asterids
Order:Dipsacales
Family:Viburnaceae
Genus:Sambucus
Species:
S. canadensis
Binomial name
Sambucus canadensis
Natural range of Sambucus canadensis in the United States and Canada
Synonyms[2]

Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis (L.) Bolli
Sambucus mexicana C. Presl ex DC [3]

Sambucus canadensis, the American black elderberry, Canada elderberry, or common elderberry, is a New World species of elderberry that forms a shrub primarily in temperate regions.

Most parts of the plant are toxic with cyanogenic glycosides, but the ripe berries can be cooked for food use with the seeds removed.

Description

It is a deciduous suckering shrub growing to 6 metres (20 feet) tall.[1][4] The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, pinnate with five to eleven leaflets, the leaflets averaging 10 centimetres (4 inches) long and 4 cm broad.[5]

In summer, it bears large corymbs, 20–30 cm or 8–12 in diameter, of white flowers above the foliage, the individual flowers 5–6 millimetres (3⁄16–1⁄4 in) diameter, with five petals.[6] They are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects.[6] The fruit (known as an elderberry) is a dark purple to black berry 3–5 mm diameter, produced in drooping clusters in the fall.[1]

Taxonomy

It is closely related to the European Sambucus nigra. Some authors treat it as conspecific, under the name Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis.[3]

Etymology

The genus name comes from the Greek word sambuce, an ancient wind instrument, in reference to the removal of pith from the twigs of this and other species to make whistles.[5][7]

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to a large area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south throughout the mainland Americas to Bolivia. It is considered introduced in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia.[2][8]

S. canadensis is primarily found in habitat types such as marshes, swamps, and open woodland floodplains, among others.[9] It grows in full sun to partial shade and can tolerate moist. sandy to clay soil with a medium pH.[6]

Toxicity

Inedible parts of the plant, such as the leaves, stems, roots, seeds and unripe fruits, can be toxic[10][11] due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloids.[12][13]

Uses

Traditional methods of consuming elderberry includes sweetened jams, jellies, and syrups, all of which cook down the fruit and strain out the seeds.[10][13] A drink can be made from soaking the flower heads in water for eight hours.[4] Other uses for the fruit include wine, jelly and dye.[13] The leaves and inner bark may be used as an insecticide and a dye.[6]

The boiled inner bark of the elderberry was used by the Iroquois of North America as a pain reliever in toothaches, being applied to the side of the cheek that was most virulent.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis, Common Elderberry". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Sambucus canadensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis (L.) R. Bolli". ITIS Report. ITIS. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 United States Department of the Army (2009). The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC 277203364.
  5. 1 2 Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 448. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Sambucus canadensis L., R. Bolli". Plants For A Future. 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 670. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
  8. ↑ "Sambucus canadensis L." Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Weakley, A. S. (2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  10. 1 2 Peterson, Lee Allen (1977). Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 172. ISBN 0-395-92622-X.
  11. ↑ Preston, Richard J.; Braham, Richard R. (2002). North American Trees: Fifth Edition. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Press. p. 199. ISBN 0-8138-1526-6.
  12. ↑ "Sambucus canadensis". North Carolina State Extension Gardener. 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Oehler N, Waite-Cusic J, Hibbard-Swanson J (November 2024). "Play it safe when preserving elderberries". Oregon State University Extension Service. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Kalm, Pehr (1772). Travels into North America. Translated by Johann Reinhold Forster. London: T. Lowndes. OCLC 1083889360. Retrieved 24 July 2026.