If you don't grow elderberries in your garden, you like to collect the berries and flowers in the wild. So that you can find the popular trees without having to search for a long time, we have put together the most common occurrences.
Where does elderberry occur in the wild?
Elderberry is often found in Central Europe in locations such as forest clearings, sunny embankments, ruderal areas, weedy areas and in low mountain ranges. In the wild there is a risk of confusion with the poisonous dwarf elderberry.
One of the most common shrubs in Central Europe
Black Elderberry doesn't make it difficult for his friends to locate him in the wild. Although it is also represented in India, Western Siberia, Asia Minor and North Africa, it is considered one of the most widespread shrub species in our latitudes. Here you should particularly look out for the mighty wild fruit trees:
- in forest clearings under the canopy of tall deciduous trees
- along sunny to partially shaded embankments and roadsides
- on the nutrient-rich ruderal areas of abandoned farms, train stations and similar areas
- on weedy fields with nitrogen-containing clay soil, often associated with nettles
- in the low mountain ranges and the Alps up to an altitude of 1500 meters
Since elderberry is considered to be extremely resistant to urban climates, it is often specifically planted on the median strip of highways in order to grow wild there. Collecting the berries and flowers at these locations is initially life-threatening. In addition, it does not make sense since the crop is not suitable for consumption. The enormous biomass of an elderberry assimilates the exhaust gases and stores them in all parts of the plant.
Danger of confusion with poisonous dwarf elderberry
In the wild there is a high risk of confusion between edible black elderberry and poisonous dwarf elderberry. At first glance, the berries of both species show no differences. While the fruits of the black elderberry provide he althy enjoyment after cooking, the berries of the dwarf elderberry retain their toxicity. How to tell the difference:
- poisonous parakeet grows as a herb up to 150 centimeters high
- the inedible berries have a dent
- Dwarf elderberry umbels stand upright
- the narrow leaflets are up to 15 centimeters long
A majestic black elderberry, on the other hand, is woody and stretches up to 7 meters in height. Its oval, objectively arranged leaves clearly differ from the leaflets of the attic. The same applies to the harmless stag elderberry, which thrives in similar locations but is much less likely to be found on the road. However, its red berries pose the risk that their seeds will still contain toxic glycoside after cooking.
Tips & Tricks
For our ancestors, an elderberry had magical powers. They saw him as a tree of life that protected the house and its residents from evil forces. That's why the elder bush is still an integral part of the plant community in many home gardens today.
