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https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...g-term-project
The question at hand is.. "Are elderberries native?"
They are more native than me it seems. A recent genealogy assessment put me at 25% viking! Anyway, Sambucus Nigra is the common elderberry bush you will see in hedgerows in the UK. I've read it has been in the UK certainly since the end of the last ice age 1000s of years ago. It seems to be native also to Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. It seems to have been long associated with human habitation, remains having been found around ancient settlements.
If you are from US then you will have your own native elder - either S. Nigra ssp. Canadensis in mid and East or S. Nigra ssp. Cerulea in the West coast.
Many regions have strong local traditions of using the berries and flowers - including the UK and certainly Austria to my knowledge, probably others. In the UK it has been called the "English Grape".
But, I'd like to float the observation that local areas see different characteristics commonly. Take autumn colour. In my parts - SE England I constantly see elders having a yellow autumn colour. But travel west towards Oxford and you enter red autumn colour land. Some of the reddest I have seen were in the Forest of Dean where they would light up the autumn hedge rows. Then again, in an area towards the midlands I found a purple autumn colour to be the norm. And that's just autumn colour. I've seen several other visible characteristics vary between common and rare between regions. So, although I haven't yet the evidence I would tend to believe that you would find significant flavour/ wine making qualities also vary between areas.
So, not only could you describe elder as native to Europe etc, but you might be harbouring important local/ native variants yet to be revealed.
I'm in two minds over some commercial cropping varieties of elderberry such as Haschberg. They are certainly the same species, but are they representative of the UK elderberry? If I had a strain with good UK provenance, cropping capabilities and distinct wine qualities would I choose to grow and use its produce over Haschberg? I guess it's the same issue over apples - does one prefer a UK born and bred apple over a non UK bred variety?
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...g-term-project
The question at hand is.. "Are elderberries native?"
They are more native than me it seems. A recent genealogy assessment put me at 25% viking! Anyway, Sambucus Nigra is the common elderberry bush you will see in hedgerows in the UK. I've read it has been in the UK certainly since the end of the last ice age 1000s of years ago. It seems to be native also to Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. It seems to have been long associated with human habitation, remains having been found around ancient settlements.
If you are from US then you will have your own native elder - either S. Nigra ssp. Canadensis in mid and East or S. Nigra ssp. Cerulea in the West coast.
Many regions have strong local traditions of using the berries and flowers - including the UK and certainly Austria to my knowledge, probably others. In the UK it has been called the "English Grape".
But, I'd like to float the observation that local areas see different characteristics commonly. Take autumn colour. In my parts - SE England I constantly see elders having a yellow autumn colour. But travel west towards Oxford and you enter red autumn colour land. Some of the reddest I have seen were in the Forest of Dean where they would light up the autumn hedge rows. Then again, in an area towards the midlands I found a purple autumn colour to be the norm. And that's just autumn colour. I've seen several other visible characteristics vary between common and rare between regions. So, although I haven't yet the evidence I would tend to believe that you would find significant flavour/ wine making qualities also vary between areas.
So, not only could you describe elder as native to Europe etc, but you might be harbouring important local/ native variants yet to be revealed.
I'm in two minds over some commercial cropping varieties of elderberry such as Haschberg. They are certainly the same species, but are they representative of the UK elderberry? If I had a strain with good UK provenance, cropping capabilities and distinct wine qualities would I choose to grow and use its produce over Haschberg? I guess it's the same issue over apples - does one prefer a UK born and bred apple over a non UK bred variety?
