Photo by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
FruitSeason: May – June
Elderflower (European elder)
Sambucus nigra
This one has a dangerous look-alike
Hemlock, hemlock water-dropwort and cow parsley also carry white umbrella-shaped heads, but they are soft green herbs with no bark — elder is a woody shrub. Dwarf elder is a poisonous elder that dies back to the ground every winter, grows in leafy patches and smells foul when its leaves are crushed.
- When
- Typically May – June — May, June. Earlier in warm, low country; later in the hills.
- Where it grows
- Hedgerows, woodland edges, scrub, riverbanks, railway banks and waste ground — anywhere rich and disturbed.
- How to know it
- A woody shrub or small tree with corky, furrowed grey-brown bark and opposite leaves of five to seven toothed leaflets; flat, creamy-white heads of tiny five-petalled flowers up to 24 cm (9 in) across, with a heavy sweet scent.
- Harvest and use
- Cordial, sparkling elderflower, fritters and syrup. Pick fresh, fully open heads on a dry morning, shake out the insects, and don’t wash away the pollen.
- Caution
- Only the flowers: leaves, stems and bark are poisonous. Snip the flowers off the thick stalks before steeping.
Elderflower (European elder) at a glance
- Also called
- Elder, black elder, European elder; sureau noir (France), Holunder (Germany), fläder (Sweden), hyld (Denmark), bez czarny (Poland)
- Family
- Viburnaceae (formerly Adoxaceae)
- Where it grows
- Native from the Azores across Europe to Turkey and the Middle East, and common throughout Britain and Ireland; introduced to most other continents. The North American elder (Sambucus canadensis) is a close relative that some botanists treat as a subspecies.
- When to pick
- Late May and June, a little later in the north and at altitude. A head is ready when nearly all its flowers are open, creamy and sweet-smelling; browning heads make a bitter, stale-smelling drink.
- Parts used
- Flowers only, fresh or dried, for cordial, wine, tea and fritters.
- Is any of it poisonous?
- Apart from the flowers and the ripe berries, every part of the plant — leaves, stems, bark, unripe berries, and the seeds — contains sambunigrin, a cyanogenic glycoside. Strip the flowers off the stalks.
- More look-alikes to know
- Hemlock water-dropwort, common along streams in Britain, Ireland and western Europe, has white umbels at the same time of year; it is a hairless herb with hollow stems and tuberous roots, and is one of the most poisonous plants in Europe. Dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus) flowers later in summer on herbaceous stems.
Questions people ask about elderflower
When is elderflower season?
Late May through June in most of Europe, a week or two later in the north and the mountains. Pick on a dry, sunny morning when the heads are fully open and fragrant.
Can you eat elderflowers raw?
The flowers are the edible part, steeped in cordial, infused as tea, or dipped in batter for fritters. Leave the leaves and stalks out: they are poisonous.
What looks like elderflower but is poisonous?
Hemlock and hemlock water-dropwort carry flat white flower heads too, but they are soft-stemmed herbs; elder is a woody shrub with bark. Dwarf elder looks like elder but dies back to the ground each winter and smells foul.
How do you tell elder from walnut or rowan?
Elder’s leaves are in opposite pairs, with five to seven toothed leaflets; walnut’s and rowan’s alternate along the twig. Elder bark is corky and furrowed.
Found in these regions
- Atlantic Europe
- Continental Europe
- Alps, Pyrenees & Carpathians
- Mediterranean Europe
- Pannonian Basin & Eastern Plains
Hardiness zones 5–9.
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How to know it & its look-alikes →
Checked against these sources ·
- Wikipedia — Sambucus nigra
- Woodland Trust — Elder
- Wikipedia — Oenanthe crocata (hemlock water-dropwort)
- Wikipedia — Sambucus ebulus (dwarf elder)
Seasons are typical for the middle of the range and move by weeks north and south, and up and down hills.
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.