Thursday 11 December 2014

ELDERBERRY FLOWERS

Sambucus (elder or elderberry) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence. It contains between 5 and 30 species of deciduous shrubs, small trees and herbaceous perennial plants.

The genus occurs in temperate to subtropical regions of the world. More widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, its Southern Hemisphere occurrence is restricted to parts of Australasia and South America. Many species are widely cultivated for their ornamental leaves, flowers and fruit.

The leaves are pinnate with 5–9 leaflets (rarely 3 or 11). Each leaf is 5–30 cm long, and the leaflets have serrated margins. They bear large clusters of small white or cream-coloured flowers in late spring; these are followed by clusters of small black, blue-black, or red berries (rarely yellow or white).

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

4 comments:

  1. Know what? I have never looked at this close-up. I have dried these flowerheads in the oven and they taste lovely. Elderberry wine is a poor relation to grape wine, but the berries are good for dyeing wool.

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  2. The juice of the berries also can be used to make jelly. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  3. Very nice flower clusters on this tree!

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