Flowers
Elderflower
Sambucus nigra L. · elder, black elder, European elder, elder flowers · Polish: Bez czarny (kwiaty)
Edible with care
How to identify it
- Shrub or small tree; leaves pinnate with an odd number of leaflets, usually 5.
- Creamy-white flowers in large, flat-topped clusters (10–20 cm across) with a heady scent.
- Pith in the shoots white, wide and light (in red-berried elder it is cinnamon-brown).
- Twigs and leaves smell unpleasant when crushed.
- Flowers in June–July.
Where it grows
Woodland and scrub, in the mountains up to the lower montane forest belt; prefers fertile soils rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.
In the kitchen and the home medicine cabinet
The flowers are picked on a sunny day, when they are fully open but not yet going over. Traditionally: elderflower syrup, an infusion of the dried flowers, flowers fried in batter (fritters). The State Forests (Lasy Państwowe) recommend that the flowers — like the berries — be processed before eating.
Caution Raw flowers, leaves and berries contain sambunigrin (a cyanogenic glycoside); there is much less of it in the flowers than in the leaves. Use only the flowers for syrup, without leaves or thicker stalks. The bark and twigs are not fit to eat. Elderflower infusion has the status of a traditional herbal medicinal product in the EU (EMA monograph), for use in adults and adolescents over 12. Do not pick beside roads.
What not to confuse it with
Red-berried elder Poisonous
Red-berried elder flowers earlier (April–May), in rounded, elongated panicles, not in flat-topped clusters; it has cinnamon-coloured pith in its shoots. It is poisonous raw.
Frequently asked questions
When is Elderflower in season?
In Poland, usually in June, July.
What can Elderflower be confused with?
Red-berried elder: Red-berried elder flowers earlier (April–May), in rounded, elongated panicles, not in flat-topped clusters; it has cinnamon-coloured pith in its shoots. It is poisonous raw.
Sources
- Lasy Państwowe: Czas na syrop z owoców bzu czarnego (30.08.2022)
- Wikipedia: Bez czarny
- EMA: Sambuci flos – EU herbal monograph
- Appenteng et al., Molecules 2021 – cyanogenic glycosides in elderberry (S. nigra: liście, kwiaty, owoce)
- Wikipedia: Bez koralowy
Last checked: 9 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Write to us.
