Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

Illustration: Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) flower and berry clusters

Identification: Shrub with pinnate leaves and warty bark; flat-topped clusters of tiny white flowers in early summer; drooping clusters of dark purple-black berries in late summer. Stems have white pith.

Dangerous look-alikes: Red-berried elders (S. racemosa) — red berries, more toxic; avoid. Pokeweed berries grow on magenta herbaceous stalks, not woody shrubs. Confirm: WOODY shrub + flat flower clusters + BLACK ripe berries.

Edible parts: Fully ripe black berries (cooked); flowers (cooked/battered).

Season and habitat: Flowers early summer; berries late summer. Moist thickets, stream banks, fencerows.

Preparation: NEVER eat raw berries, leaves, bark, or roots — they contain cyanogenic compounds that cause nausea. Cook berries (jam, syrup, pie, wine) and the toxins break down. Flowers for fritters and cordial.

Notes: The cooked berry is a classic cold-season syrup; the raw berry is a stomach ache.