Elderberry is a species that you have most commonly encountered in the medicine aisle in the form of a flu remedy. That is because this plant contains a potent medicine in its berries that can help with influenza! Not only that, but it is a beautiful large fountainous shrub that can act as a fragrant screen, can help prevent erosion on creekbanks, and is extremely easy to identify.
Scientific Name: Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis sometimes Sambucus canadensis (nigra nigra is the European version which differs in size)
Characteristics: A sprawling and suckering shrub topped with plate-sized white flowers. It prefers moist soils and naturallly grows along streambanks and fencerows. Planting location options can be expanded through watering the first year. The purple leafed version is a European species and I would discourage you from planting it unless you live on that continent.
Size: 5 to 12ft tall and 5-12 ft wide
Description: If you are looking for a wildlife plant look no further than the common black elderberry. This plant is highly useful for all the critters that you would ever want including yourself. If you can get to the berries before the birds do elderberry syrup contains compounds that have been scientifically proven to help fight the common flu and other types of viruses by strengthening cells. Elderberries are also delicious when mixed in with a sweet syrup or honey and they tend to fight the dreariness of winter after harvest in the fall. In the spring and summer the plant grows rapidly and though its twigs are weak this can actually be a strong suit because it can take pruning vigorously and if you leave some of the sticks that are damaged or dead they are actually hollow and can be homes for small native stem nesting bees.
Here you can see the knobby texture to the stems that is a dead giveaway.
The leaves are very lacy and this gives the entire plant a kind of soft texture in the background of your landscaping or edges of ponds or creeks. The flowers are giant flat umbrellas of white they smell like sweet vanilla and you can even cook up the ginormous flowers which can top out about the size of a dinner plate, you can cook them in batter them and fry them and they’re quite delicious.
This bush is also delicious for birds with more than just berries because it hosts several species of moths as well as all the other stem boring insects that birds love to munch on. Overall you will see a lot of life come to this shrub when you plant it. And it will bring a lot of life too your medicine cabinet if you decide to harvest its berries. (pro-tip: cut the whole berry cluster off, freeze it and then remove the berries, otherwise they will be smashed).
