Leaves

The leaves are pinnate with two to three opposite pairs (rarely four pairs) and a terminal leaflet. The leaflets are oval shaped and toothed and tend to be five to twelve centimetres long. The leaves can make an unpleasant smell when crushed.

Flowers

Borne on large flat umbels, 10-30cm across, the individual flowers are tiny, creamy coloured, highly scented, and have five petals and five stamen. The smell is often compared to cat pee, but I find it quite pleasant.

Seeds

Each fruit has a single small seed, which can potentially contain tiny amounts of cyanogenic glycosides which can create cyanide poison in the stomach. These can cause gastric upset, but are unlikely to cause lasting problems unless consumed in huge amounts.

Stem

Grey-brown, corky, deeply furrowed bark, although younger specimens have smooth grey bark.

Fruit

After pollination by insects, each flower develops into a small, purple-black, sour berry, which ripens from late-summer to autumn.

Taste

The flowers have a delicious, sweet, floral flavour. The fruit have almost no taste one at a time, but with a handful, the sweet, grape-like flavour really comes through.

Frequency & law

Fairly common and not restricted.

Possible confusion

Walnut (Juglans regia), however, elder has oppositely arranged leaves whereas walnut has alternately arranged leaves.

Habitat

Elder will grow in both wet and dry fertile soils, but in very wet soil the growth and fruiting can be heavily stunted. Primarily in sunny locations in woodland, scrub, hedgerows and wasteland. It is widespread in many temperate and sub-tropical regions of the world, and is native to the UK.

How to harvest

The fruit ripens from August to September and can be picked by hand from the tree. A berry comb may be advantageous for these.

Cooking tips

The fruit when raw can cause gastric upset, so make sure that it is cooked thoroughly.

Other uses

Elder wood is hard and yellow-white. Mature wood is used for whittling and carving, while smaller stems can be hollowed out to make craft items.

Folklore

It was thought that if you burned elder wood you would see the devil, but if you planted elder by your house it would keep the devil away. Elder was also known as Judas’ Tree as it was believed that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on an Elder tree.