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The fruits of the elder are often referred to as lilac berries. Are elder and lilac to be equated? The following lines explain why this is not the case and what the differences are.
How a dialect causes confusion
Just ask a member of the older generation along the Lower Rhine to Lower Saxony to show you a lilac. The person addressed will undoubtedly point to a black elderberry. In the local dialect, the Platt, elderberries have been referred to as lilac berries since time immemorial. The common lilac is still the Pingsterbloom in local usage today.
This mini 'Tower of Babel' still causes confusion to this day, because even in Germany-wide nurseries and garden centers black elder is usually offered with the nickname lilac berry. To be on the safe side when purchasing one of the two ornamental trees, you should always include the botanical name: black elder (Sambucus nigra) - common lilac (Syringa vulgaris).
visual differences
For those who don't want to bother with botanical or etymological sophistication, rely on the obvious visual differences:
- Elderflowers appear in umbrella panicles, lilac flowers in panicles up to 30 centimeters long
- Elderberry blooms creamy white in June, lilac blooms violet in May
- Black elder bears berries, lilac forms capsule fruits
- the leaves of the black elder are pinnate, while the foliage of the lilac is broad and ovate
While common lilac mainly serves as a feast for the eyes, black elder scores with edible berries and flowers. Even the leaves are used in folk medicine. In this context, it should not be overlooked that the toxin content in all parts of the plant only dissolves when heated to at least 80 degrees Celsius. Elderberries are therefore boiled down to make jam, jelly, syrup or compote.
tips and tricks
Elderberry and lilac have at least one thing in common: both shrubs have an enormous urge to spread. You put a stop to this dominant hustle and bustle by planting the trees together with a root barrier. This is an innovative geotextile (€107.71) that is inserted vertically into the ground at an adequate distance around the root ball.