Elder
Elder
Shrub
A fast-growing hedgerow shrub with flat creamy flower heads for elderflower cordial in June, drooping bunches of purple-black berries by autumn, and hollow, pithy stems.
💡 Fun Facts
- In early summer it is covered in flat, creamy-white flower heads that smell sweet and are used to make elderflower cordial.
- By late summer those flowers turn into drooping bunches of tiny purple-black elderberries.
- Its young stems are hollow, filled with soft pith, and have long been used to make whistles and pop-guns.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:June to July
- Fruiting:August to September
Name Story
Sambucus nigra
means “the black-berried elder”
a traditional storyThe link between the name Sambucus and a musical instrument is a traditional story rather than a proven fact.
What does its name mean?
- Sambucus — elder treeLatin, from Greek sambykē — said to be linked to the sambuca, an old musical instrument
- nigra — black (here, dark)Latin nigerDecode this word →
Nigra means 'black', for the elder's heavy clusters of deep purple-black berries that follow its creamy summer flowers. The first name, Sambucus, is said to come from the sambuca, an old musical instrument once made from elder's hollow stems.