Sambucus canadensis Acutiloba - Elder

Sambucus canadensis 'Acutiloba' is a very graceful Canadian Elderberry with laciniate foliage. This elderberry form has deeply cut, long, soft, feathery and very attractive leaves. They are dark green from spring to leaf fall in autumn. Flat-topped panicles of small white flowers are produced in early summer. After flowering, this American elderberry produces small round fruits that are dark purplish-black, similar to European elderberry. A very beautiful plant, perfectly hardy, undemanding, and almost maintenance-free. 

Sambucus canadensis is a deciduous shrub from the Adoxaceae family. Native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia and Manitoba to Florida and Texas, it is commonly found on riverbanks, in wet forests, thickets, hedgerows, and roadside edges throughout the state of Missouri. This plant is sometimes considered a subspecies of Sambucus nigra rather than a distinct species. It is an opportunistic and highly adaptable shrub, undemanding and very easy to grow anywhere. It tolerates clay-limestone soils perfectly, even relatively dry ones if they are deep.

The 'Acutiloba' cultivar will reach 3.50 m in all directions at maturity. It has a bushy and spreading habit. Its woody branches are knarled, greyish, and filled with white pith. They bear particularly elegant foliage; its leaves are divided into many very thin, laciniate, slightly glossy leaflets. Flowering usually occurs in June (slightly earlier or later depending on the climate). It takes the form of false umbels measuring up to 25 cm in diameter that remain decorative for a long time. Each umbel consists of numerous tiny flowers with 5 petals. This slightly fragrant flowering attracts many pollinating insects. The edible and tasty fruits are black to purplish berries with soft flesh, measuring 6 to 8 mm in diameter.

The 'Acutiloba' elderberry is a rare form that will be very beautiful mixed with plants with bold foliage in a wild garden or at the edge of a wood. It is beautiful enough to be included in a shrub border, as a backdrop in a perennial garden, and even planted as a specimen. At the back of a perennial bed, it can be associated with lady's mantle and variegated Euphorbia 'Wilcott', for example. Like all elderberries, it is very hardy and easy to combine with other shrubs that flower in spring or summer, such as small lilacs, mock oranges, and landscape roses with single flowers like 'Astronomia', or a Weigela florida 'Big Love'. It can also be grown in a large pot or container for 3 or 4 years.

In the kitchen: the flowers can be prepared as fritters or syrup by macerating them in sugar. The buds in vinegar are used to enhance salads, and the berries are consumed as juice, jellies, jams, or wine. They pleasantly flavour apple cakes. Only the flowers and berries without their stalks are edible, the rest of the plant can be toxic.

Good to know: elderberry leaves are known to accelerate compost decomposition. Black elderberry leaf infusion is useful in organic gardening to combat mildew and aphid or rodent attacks. Soak 1 kg of leaves in 10 L of water for a few days and spray as needed. It can also be planted in an orchard, where it attracts insect-predatory birds.