“Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry” by David A. Hofmann, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Hul'q'umi'num' name:

tth’iwuq’ – red elderberry fruit

English Name:

Red Elderberry

Alternative English Names:

Coastal Red Elder

Scientific Name:

Sambucus racemosa

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Description

Description, Habitat, Ecology, Distribution

Red elderberry is a large shrub to small tree (to 6 m [ca. 20 ft] tall) that produces creamy white flowers and large clusters of small red berries. It occurs along streambanks, swampy thickets, moist clearings, and open forests from sea level to middle elevations throughout the coast.

Island Cultural Role

The fruits are edible, but are cooked before eating.

Cautions

CAUTION: This species may be harmful. It produces toxic substances (a poisonous alkaloid and cyanogenic glycoside) in all plant parts. The concentrations are much lower in the flowers and unripe fruits, however, and the ripe fruits are regarded as edible.

Language

Hul'q'umi'num' Name

tth’iwuq’ – red elderberry fruit

APA

t̓ᶿiwəq̓

Speaker

Ruby Peter

Hul'q'umi'num' Name 2

tth’iwuq’ulhp – red elderberry shrub

APA

t̓ᶿiwəq̓əłp

Speaker

Ruby Peter

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Photos