![]() ![]() Sambucus adnata – Himalaya and eastern Asia.The name comes from the Greek word sambuce, an ancient wind instrument, about the removal of pith from the twigs to make whistles. This has led to overdescription of the species and infraspecific taxa (subspecies, varieties or forms). The taxonomy of the genus Sambucus L., originally described by Carl Linnaeus and hence its botanical authority, has been complicated by its wide geographical distribution and morphological diversity. The seeds of Sambucus callicarpa are reported to be poisonous and may cause vomiting or diarrhea. The concentration of cyanogenic glycosides is higher in tea made from flowers (or leaves) than from the berries. In August 1983, a group of 25 people in Monterey County, California, became ill after ingesting elderberry juice pressed from fresh, uncooked Sambucus mexicana berries, leaves, and stems. Ingesting a sufficient quantity of cyanogenic glycosides from berry juice, flower tea, or beverages made from fresh leaves, branches, and fruit has been shown to cause illness, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and weakness. Leaves, twigs, branches, seeds, roots, flowers, and berries of Sambucus plants produce cyanogenic glycosides, which have toxic properties. Toxicity Īlthough the cooked berries (pulp and skin) of most species of Sambucus are edible, the uncooked berries and other parts of plants from this genus are poisonous. Fibers can be dyed with elderberry juice (using alum as a mordant) to give a "muted purple" shade. In Japan, elderberry juice is listed as an approved "natural color additive" under the Food and Sanitation Law. These pigments are used as colorants in various products, and "elderberry juice color" is listed by the US FDA as allowable in certified organic food products. Sambucus fruit is rich in anthocyanidins that combine to give elderberry juice an intense blue-purple coloration that turns reddish on dilution with water. They bear large clusters of small white or cream-colored flowers in late spring these are followed by clusters of small black, blue-black, or red berries (rarely yellow or white).Ĭolor Structure of anthocyanins, the blue pigments in elderberries ![]() Each leaf is 5–30 cm (2–12 in) long, and the leaflets have serrated margins. The oppositely arranged leaves are pinnate with 5–9 leaflets (or, rarely, 3 or 11). ![]() The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to genetic and morphological comparisons to plants in the genus Adoxa.įlowers of European black elder Description The various species are commonly referred to as elder, elderflower or elderberry. Sambucus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. ![]()
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