American elder
Sambucus canadensis
New World elder, used like S. nigra for cooked berries and flowers. Canonical culinary notes match elderberry; this is the American species many U.S. foragers actually meet.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: American elderberry, elder-american
What it is
New World elder, used like S. nigra for cooked berries and flowers. Canonical culinary notes match elderberry; this is the American species many U.S. foragers actually meet.
Edible portions
- cooked ripe berries
- flowers
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 3–9
- Light. Sun to part shade, moist
- Soil. Moist, rich
- Planting. Suckering native shrub.
- Harvest. As elderberry: flowers dry, berries cooked.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Flower fritters, cooked berry syrup
Safety
- Same caution as European elder: cook berries; do not eat stems/leaves.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.