Read important information about dwarf elderberry in the commented profile here. Interesting facts about the poisonous parakeet with tips on toxicity, flowers, fruits, leaves and use.
What are the special features of the dwarf elderberry?
The dwarf elderberry (Sambucus ebulus) is a perennial, herbaceous plant with pinnate leaves and white flowers in flat umbel panicles. The fruits are berry-like drupes and all parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant is used as an ornamental plant, in natural gardens and as a medicinal plant.
Profile
- Scientific name: Sambucus ebulus
- Genus: Elderberry (Sambucus)
- Synonyms: parakeet, false elderberry
- Occurrence: Europe
- Growth type: perennial, herbaceous plant
- Growth heights: 60 cm to 150 cm
- Leaves: pinnate
- Flowers: flat umbel panicles
- Fruits: berry-like drupes
- Toxicity: poisonous
- Roots: shallow roots, runners
- Use: ornamental plant, natural garden, medicinal plant
Toxicity
All parts of a dwarf elderberry plant are poisonous. Active ingredients that are hazardous to he alth include:
- poisonous bitter substance
- Caffeic Acid
- coumaric acid
- various glycosides, especially the toxic hydrogen cyanide glycoside sambunigrin
The highest acute toxicity is recorded in the seeds of the berry-like fruits. Severe symptoms can occur after intentional or unintentional consumption. Those affected suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, circulatory problems, cardiac arrhythmias and visual disturbances. In the past, there have been isolated cases of fatal poisoning in humans, pets, birds and livestock.
Excursus
Difference between elderberry dwarf elderberry
Real elderberry is a powerful shrub up to 10 meters high, whose white panicle flowers have a fruity scent. In contrast, poisonous dwarf elderberry is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a height of up to 1.50 meters. White Attich flowers have red, later black anthers and give off an unpleasant smell. Outside the flowering period, the leaves provide important information about the type of elderberry: The lanceolate dwarf elderberry leaves are significantly narrower than the oval-elliptical pinnate leaves of the real elderberry.
Flowers
When dwarf elderberry blooms, it is a feast for the eyes. These properties characterize the picturesque Attich flowers:
- Inflorescence: flat, umbel-like (plate flowers)
- Inflorescence size: 5 cm to 10 cm
- Single flower: five-star, 7 mm in diameter
- Colour: white, red to purple, later black anthers
- Flower scent: strong to repellent like bitter almond
- Flowering period: June to August
The splendor of flowers can be admired in warm temperate Europe at the edges of forests, in clearings and ruderal herbaceous meadows. In the Alps, false elderberry inhabits altitudes of up to 1500 meters.
Fruits
With its unpleasant smell, Attich attracts numerous blowflies and native beetles as pollinators. In autumn, fertilized flowers turn into black, berry-like drupes. These fruits are poisonous to humans and animals. In contrast to real elderberries, the toxicity remains at a high level even after boiling.
leaves
Delicate leaflets underline the ornamental value of Sambucus ebulus. The leaves also serve as an important indicator for accurately distinguishing between poisonous dwarf elderberry and real elderberry. This is what Attich leaves look like:
- Leaf shape: imparipinnate
- Leaf composition: 7 to 9 pinnate leaves
- Single leaflet: 5 cm to 15 cm long, lanceolate-elongated, finely serrated leaf edge
- Leaf color: light green
- Arrangement: opposite
- Special feature: disgusting smell
Like all parts of the plant, elder leaves are poisonous and not suitable for consumption or as animal feed. After the first frost, the leaves move in without any significant autumn color.
Usage
If you are careful about the poisonous parts of the plant, you will discover a variety of uses for dwarf elderberry. The following table has the best tips on how Attich can be useful in the garden and on the balcony:
| Usage | Tip |
|---|---|
| Floor mounting | Plant slopes and dunes with parakeet |
| Windbreak | Enclose wind-exposed garden with dwarf elderberry |
| Beetle Help | Food source for endangered rose beetles |
| ornamental plant | plant as a hedge, group or in a pot |
The list of advantageous attributes is long: underground extensions of the shallow root system secure sloping ground, flower pollen feeds hungry beetles, bushy growth serves as a vestibule, shiny black berries decorate the autumn garden as fruit decorations. However, dwarf elderberry has no longer served its purpose as a medicinal plant due to its toxicity. In antiquity and the Middle Ages, herbalists used the plant parts as a laxative remedy for dropsy, kidney stones and after a poisonous snake bite.
Planting dwarf elderberry
Occasionally you can buy early dwarf elderberries on Amazon or in a rarity nursery. Hobby gardeners plant an attic using vegetative propagation. Despite months of stratification, sowing the poisonous seeds is rarely successful. Important parameters must be taken into account when choosing a location properly. How to plant Sambucus ebulus correctly:
Propagation
The numerous runners are the perfect starting material for propagating dwarf elderberries. Important preparatory measures take into account the toxic content of the roots. How to multiply Attich for free:
- The best time is in autumn or spring.
- Put on gloves, rubber boots and long-sleeved clothing.
- Pick off and dig up one or more underground runners with a sharp spade blade.
Ideally, let each runner root in a pot with potting soil. Equipped with its own root ball, place the young dwarf elderberry in the soil at a suitable location.
Location
These criteria are crucial when choosing a location:
- Out of reach of children, pets, horses and grazing livestock.
- Sunny to semi-shady location.
- Nutritious, calcareous, fresh to moist soil (tolerant to sandy-dry soil, e.g. on dunes).
- Extra tip: plant an attic far away from seating due to the intrusive smell.
False elderberry does not place any special demands on the container substrate. We recommend commercial potting soil without peat, enriched with sand or expanded clay.
Planting Tips
Pay special attention to these planting tips for a dwarf elderberry in top form:
- Place the root ball in water before planting until no more air bubbles appear.
- Improve the excavation of the planting pit with compost and horn shavings.
- For bushy growth, cut back all shoots by a third.
- Important: Avoid skin contact with the plant parts.
Unless a comprehensive population is desired, a rhizome barrier keeps the growth of the underground runners in check. Plant an atticule in the pot over a drainage system made of grit or pottery shards so that excess irrigation water can drain away quickly.
Care for dwarf elderberry
Dwarf elderberry is undemanding and easy to care for. Basically, the herbaceous plant grows even without regular attention. A supplementary supply of water and nutrients is beneficial for a magnificent flowering period, decorative berry decorations and dense bushy growth. Pruning at the right time prevents the formation of poisonous stone fruits. This is how you care for false elderberry in an exemplary manner:
Pouring
When it is dry, water the dwarf elderberry thoroughly with normal tap water. An occasional rain shower usually covers the water requirements in the bed. Pot substrate dries out quickly. The sunnier the location, the more often Attich needs to be watered. So that the pretty leaflets do not suffer from mildew, please let the water run directly onto the root disc.
Fertilize
In spring, stop by the dwarf elderberry with the compost-laden wheelbarrow. Distribute the organic fertilizer on the root disc and water again. As an exception, you should refrain from raking in order not to injure the shallow roots. Alternatively, spray the root slice with nitrogen-rich nettle manure every four to six weeks. Fertilize pot parakeet monthly from April to August with a liquid flower fertilizer.
Cutting
Dwarf elderberry is not a shrub, but a perennial. In winter the parakeet gradually absorbs its herbaceous plant parts. The strong stems and fallen leaves act as natural winter protection for the root ball until next spring. In February, cut off all shoots at ground level. This is best done with a freshly sharpened sickle or a sharp knife. Please arm yourself with gloves against the poisonous plant juices.
Because the berry-like drupes are full of very poisonous seeds, moderate pruning prevents fruit formation. For this purpose, cut off withered flowers as soon as possible. Place the scissors over the leaflets. For reasons of caution, do not dispose of the toxic clippings in the compost heap, but in organic waste.
Popular varieties
You will look in vain for dwarf elderberry varieties in nurseries and garden centers. Anyone who finds what they are looking for has discovered one of these rare dwarf forms of the black elderberry or grape elderberry:
- Pulverulenta: decorative dwarf variety of Sambucus nigra with green-white speckled leaves and 1-1.50 m tall.
- Pygmaea: hemispherical dwarf form of the local black elderberry for the front garden and allotment with a height of 50 cm.
Golden Lace: Small elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) with bright yellow leaves, height 150 cm.
FAQ
Are dwarf elderberry flowers poisonous?
All parts of the plant are poisonous, including the flowers. In contrast to real elderflowers, Attich flowers are not suitable for processing into tea, jelly or syrup. Interpret the unpleasant smell of flowers as an unmistakable indication of toxicity.
How can you distinguish between false and real elderberries?
False elderberry, also called attic or dwarf elderberry, is a perennial plant up to 1.50 m tall that does not become woody. Real elderberry thrives as a shrub with a strong, woody trunk. Both types of elderberry bear black berries. The umbellate fruit clusters on the attic usually stand upright, whereas real elderberries hang downwards. Poisonous dwarf elderberry reveals itself through a repellent smell. Black elderberry smells pleasantly fruity.
Are there safe alternatives to the poisonous dwarf elderberry?
The dwarf form Sambucus nigra Pulverulenta is a recommended alternative to the poisonous dwarf elderberry. Space-saving growth, green and white speckled leaves and edible berries characterize the popular garden variety. Columnar elderberries stand out as slender and representative, such as the yellow-leaved premium variety 'Golden Tower' or the red-leaved beauty 'Black Tower'. With growth heights of up to 3 meters, columnar elders are hardly wider than an attic.
Where does dwarf elderberry grow?
Dwarf elderberry grows in the Mediterranean as well as in southeastern and central Europe. In the Alps, the hardy perennial reaches altitudes of up to 1,500 meters. Preferred locations are roadsides, forest clearings, embankments and ruderal areas with nutrient-rich, fresh, moist soil. Attich plants colonize the dunes along the coasts of the North and B altic Seas.
