![]() So please remember: Just because you see dark berries or pretty flower sprays does NOT mean you’ve found an elderberry bush. The Herbal Academy has an online foraging course that teaches plant identification and ethical wildcrafting practices.Ī decent number of other plants out there have purple berries or clusters of tiny white flowers, and some are poisonous. Or consider finding a veteran forager, who can help teach you to correctly identify elderberry bushes. Please refer to a good foraging book for positive elderberry identification. I can’t tell you how many online photos I’ve found labeled elderberry that aren’t. ![]() Get a good foraging guide and make absolutely certain you have the right plant before sampling. To positively identify elderberry, you’ll want to consider the plant’s growth habit, bark, and the arrangement of its leaves in addition to the shape of the individual flowers, flower clusters, and the arrangement of berries.Ĭonsult lots of photos and train yourself to notice the sometimes subtle differences between plants. Remember, anytime you forage, you need to be sure to use multiple features to correctly identify a plant. Once you’ve chosen, here’s everything you need to know (and more) about growing elderberry. Here’s loads more about types of elderberry and elderberry cultivars you might want to add to your garden. In drier climates, you may see cerulea called mexicana. Here’s a map showing where canadensis grows and another showing where cerulea may be found. The native North American varieties are Sambucus canadensis and Sambucus cerulea, and researchers believe they have similar properties to their European cousins.Ĭerulea grows more in the western half of the United States and tends to have a more tree-like shape than the shrubby canadensis. Cerulea elderberries have a more blue than purple-black color and typically have a whitish coating of a naturally-occurring yeast, great if you want to make elderberry wine. The ones used in the studies you’ve probably heard about are Sambucus nigra, which grows primarily in Europe. Let’s learn how to identify elderberry plants so you’re ready to forage delicious and medicinal flowers and berries this summer!ĭepending on where you live, you will likely find different species of elderberry growing wild near you. Here’s what you need to know about elderberry identification before you set out on an elderberry foraging adventure.Īdded bonus: Did you know the flowers of the elderberry bush are also edible and considered useful medicinally? Here’s lots more on the benefits of elderflower and how to use it to make delicious treats of all sorts. Ever foraged elderberries before? Elderberries are easy to find in many parts of the world, and they’re really fun to forage. ![]()
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