Red Elderberry

Chehalis - k’la´lx.anl     
Quinault - k’lo´manix

Family:  Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae)     
Genus:  Sambucus     
Species:  racemosa

Botanical Description:  Shrub to small tree, pithy, soft twigs with dark reddish brown, lumpy bark, height to 6 m.  Large, opposite, deciduous, sharply -toothed, lanced-shaped leaves divided into 5-7 leaflets. Small, whitish, smelly flowers in multiple rounded clusters. Hard covered, bright-red berries with 3-5 seeds.  Prefers low to medium elevations, stream banks, moist clearings and forests.

Ethnographic Information: Very important food for north and central coast peoples. Steamed berries, packed and buried for winter eating. Berries are small, seedy, and must be cooked, raw berries cause nausea. Archeologists have found caches of red elderberries dating back hundreds of years. After cooking made into jelly, wine or sauces. New stems, bark, leaves and roots are toxic, they contain cyanide-producing glycosides.