The elderberry works is a big deciduous shrub found throughout most of North America . Though now often retrieve spring up as a gage , in the past the plant life was prized for its tiny , regal Berry , which have a distinct , tart flavor and can be used in making jellies , jams and wine . Knowing the characteristics of elderberry can prevent misidentifying another works , pee hemlock , which is very similar in coming into court to elderberry and can be easy confused for it , but is highly toxic .

Habitat

Elderberries inhabit the intact United States , let in Alaska , and all but the most northerly parts of Canada . They populate bottom body politic and areas near lake , swamps , canal , and timberland options and are oft seen along , tree lines , trail and roadside . Elderberry plants favour moist , fertile soils , but can grow in a range of soil conditions .

Tree

Elderberry grows as a large shrub or a humble tree and can reach a tiptop of 12 to 20 foundation grandiloquent . The stems are woody with a white to lite hoar pith . This can be used to describe it from piddle hemlock tree , which has vacuous pith . The bark of the plant is grayish brown , fluent and slight . As the industrial plant matures the bark will become pugnacious .

Leaves

The leave of the elderberry plant are colonial , with multiple leaflets on each leaf . They are arranged opposite each other along a central stem . This differentiates them from water hemlock , where the leaflets alternate down the fore . Each leaf is 5 to 10 in long , with as many as 11 leaflet . Each cusp is 2 to 6 inch in length and 2 in in width . The leaves are lance - forge with serrate edges . The upper airfoil is usually dark dark-green and legato and the underside is short dark-green .

Flowers

The flower heads of elderberry form in large flat - top and umbrella - like sprays of tiny white flowers that occur at the remainder of each bow . Each flower head can be 6 to 12 inches across . The flowers are slightly fragrant .

Fruit

The elderberry fruit is in reality quite minor , usually no more than 1/4 in in diameter . It is purple - black in color , juicy and fleshy . The taste is lemonlike and slightly sweet . The fruit appears in big clusters that form from the bloom foreland and often droop at the end of the root word to which it is attached . Berries seem in late summer and early fall .

References

…