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Identifying Elder - Sambucus niger
The flowers of the Elder are sort after for the making of elderflower tea, and the berries for making elderflower wine. The timber is quite soft.
Leaf
The leaf is a compound, pinnate leaf with 5 or 7 leaflets. Each leaflet is longer than it is wide. The edge of each leaflet is serrated/toothed. There are small hairs present on the underside of the leaflets.
Buds, Bark and Stem
Twigs may be green or grey, and often have distinct small brownish/beige bumps. These noticeable little bumps or lumps are breathing pores or lenticels. The buds are arranged in pairs opposite to one another. The bark is often quite gnarled, grooved or corky in appearance.
Flowers and Fruits
The tree or shrub is often covered with a profusion of tiny white flowers in the spring, which give rise to the purple elderberries later in the year.
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