Sambucus sieboldiana

Sambucus sieboldiana
Shrub in flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Adoxaceae
Genus: Sambucus
Species: S. sieboldiana
Binomial name
Sambucus sieboldiana
Blumer ex Schwer

Sambucus sieboldiana (also known as Japanese red elder) is a deciduous shrub native to East Asia.[1]

Description

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to a height of 4 metres (13 ft) tall. It flowers in November with insect pollinated hermaphrodite flowers.

Uses

Culinary

The leaves and buds can be cooked and used as a vegetable, but can be toxic. A tea can be made using the leaves.

Toxins

Members of this genus are poisonous and the fruit has been known to cause stomach upsets in some people, but no records of this have been found for S. sieboldiana; any toxins that may be in the fruit would be destroyed upon cooking and would have a low toxicity.

Notes

  1. "Sambucus sieboldiana". Retrieved 27 January 2013.

References