Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemose)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186318096
Today, I bring you the Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemose). The name for them in Tlingit is yéil', according to the Alaska Guide (Adventures). I went for my usual walk, and the weather was becoming more nippy. The leaves of many deciduous trees hang on a thread, waiting for the first October wind to blow in, prune the trees, and begin getting ready for winter. To talk about Red Elders, we need to talk about Black Elders (Sambucus nigra). Black Elderberries are more edible, and I have made some of the best wine I have ever made with the Black Elderberries. It tasted like a Merlot and was so good that people came to my house asking for more.
Some physical facts about the Red-berried Elder: it is found in four of the five biomes in Alaska, along with all but a few southern states in the lower 48. These Elders are found in woodlands, forest edges, ridges or ledges, talus and rock slopes. They love the wetlands (Native Plant Trust).
Although I call it a tree, it is considered a shrub (Native Plant Trust). They have compound leaves made up of leaflets, and the edge of the leaf has teeth. These leaves then drop for the winter. The seeds can sit for years before germinating. They often can be found on "nursery logs" and will sprout after a fire. The berries feed birds and mammals, and the wood is food for porcupines and snowshoe hares (Native Plant Trust). I have used its umbrella bloom in the spring with loads of tiny white flowers that smell heavenly and can be used to make nectar to drink in the summer. But the caution is to remove all the green stems.
On the other hand, our Red Elder has a terrible taste and will upset the stomach if eaten raw because it contains a chemical called cyanogenic glycoside. They must be cooked thoroughly, and although some Pacific Northwest Natives have been known to use this berry, they have a long process to make the berry more palatable and less toxic. Other methods include "combining it with other fruits to improve their flavor, while others submerged cooked red elderberries in running streams for weeks to make them taste better and reduce their toxicity" (Shmurak). Recently, the red elderberry was "in an [scientific] experiment, looking at [the] plant extracts' ability to inhibit HIV, red elderberry was among the most potent" a real possible breakthrough (Shmurak). This bush is a sign of spring with its large umbrella cluster of white flowers and a symbol of summer with its bright red berries.
Adventures, Wilderness. "Red Elderberry of Alaska." Alaska Guide, © Alaska Guide Co., Jan. 2023, alaska.guide/Plant/Sambucus-racemosa/Red-Elderberry. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
“Sambucus Racemosa - Red Elderberry.” Native Plant Trust: Go Botany, National Science Foundation, Jan. 2023, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/sambucus/racemosa/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
Shmurak, Susannah. "What to Know about Red Elderberry (Sambucus Racemosa)." Is Red Elderberry (Red Berry Elder, Sambucus Racemosa) Safe to Eat?, HealthyGreenSavvy, 16 May 2023, www.healthygreensavvy.com/red-elderberry-sambucus-racemosa/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.