The genus Sambucus is composed of about 30 species, native to North America, Asia, Europe, northern Africa, the West Indies and the Andean region of South America. Elder trees are naturalized in other areas of the world. The word sambucus is the classical Latin name, believed to be from the Greek name of a stringed musical instrument made of this wood.
Sambucus callicarpa California tree elder, coast red elder, Pacific red elder, redberry elder, red elderberry
Sambucus canadensis American elder,
blackberry elder, common elder, common
elderberry
Sambucus canadensis American elder (typical)
var. canadensis
Sambucus canadensis Florida elder, Florida elderberry, Gulf elder, southern elder
var. laciniata
Sambucus cerulea blueberry elder, blue elder, blue elderberry, New Mexico elder
Sambucus mexicana Arizona elder, desert elderberry,
Mexican elder, mountain
elder, New Mexico elder, saúco, tapiro
Sambucus velutina velvet elder, velvetleaf elder
Distribution: North America
The Tree: Elder trees are woody plants (trees to shrubs) with large, opposite leaves, which may be evergreen or deciduous and are pinnately compound. The trees produce clusters of small white to pink flowers in flat-topped clusters (like Queen Anne's lace), which later develop into berry-like fruits. Elders can attain a height of 50 ft (15 m), with a diameter of 1 ft (0.3 m). The bark is thick, with irregular ridges or scales, and dark brown to reddish brown.
The following description is for blue elder.
General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood
of elder is white, while the heartwood is a yellowish brown. The
wood has a low luster and no odor or taste. It is light weight,
brittle, and of medium texture.
Weighta
Weight
Moisture Specific lb/ft3 kg/m3
content gravity
Green 0.46 65 1,041
12% 0.52 36 577
Ovendry 0.57 NA NA
aReference (59).
Mechanical propertiesa
Property Green Dry
MOE 0.90 106 6.205 GPa 1.03 106 7.102 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 6.60 103 45.507 MPa 9.20 103 63.434 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 3.04 103 20.961 MPa 5.09 103 35.096 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.52 103 3.585 MPa 0.76 103 5.240 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 8.8 60.676 kJ/m3 9.9 68.261
in-lbf/in3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
Hardness 720 lbf 3202.56 N 840 lbf 3736.32 N
Shear| | 1.09 103 7.515 MPa NA NA
lbf/in2
aReference (59).
Drying and shrinkagea
Percentage of shrinkage
(green to final moisture
content)
Type of 0% MC 6% MC 20% MC
shrinkage
Tangential 9.0 NA NA
Radial 4.4 NA NA
Volumetric 15.6 NA NA
aReference (59).
Durability: Nonresistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Twigs with pith removed were used for “spiles,” the pipes used for getting maple sap to the bucket. Turnery.
Toxicity: The whole plant is poisonous (54).
Additional Reading: 29, 55, 68, 74. 55, 66, 68, 74, 79. 28, 29, 42, 43, 44, 48, 50, 55, 56, 68, 72, 73, 74, 79, 92, 97, 102. 74, 75, 77, 99, 106. 101. 82, 104.