Sambucus chinensis seed

LATIN NAME: SAMBUCUS CHINENSIS

COMMON NAME: Chinese Elder

The Chinese elder clouds the broad, flat heads with the dense clusters of the small, white flowers through the summer, the large, pinnate leaves holding the deep green, and the whole plant carrying the fresh, vigorous look of the elderberries. The flowers open in the great, creamy drifts, the small, black fruits follow through the autumn, and the plant grows into the tall, branching herbaceous shrub. The stems stay soft and pithy, and the plant spreads into the broad, generous clumps. It likes the sun or the part shade, and the deep, moist, rich soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The elder group has a long, busy record in the herbal medicine research, and the Chinese elder appears in the studies of the flowers and the berries. The chemists have looked closely at the bioactive extracts, while the ecologists track the black berries that carry the birds through the autumn. The traditional uses keep the species in the cultivation lists, and the growers of the medicinal plants value the fast, generous growth.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the moist garden, the Chinese elder feeds the birds and the people alike. The great white heads draw the bees and the butterflies through the summer, the black berries feed the birds through the autumn, and the flowers and the fruits have served the traditional remedies and the cordials for the ages. The plant gives the bold, generous presence and grows fast in the rich, moist soil. Generous, useful and vigorous.

The Chinese elder seeds germinate readily in a moist, gritty loam kept cool and bright. The seedlings shoot up within a few weeks, and they grow on fast with the large, pinnate leaves. Prick them out into the rich, moist ground once they are big enough, and give them the sun or the part shade. They take the ordinary, damp soil without the fuss, and the great white heads come within the few years. The clumps spread with the seasons.

To grow the Chinese elder from seed, sow the small, flattened seeds thinly into the deep pot of moist, gritty loam, then cover them lightly, keep the pot in the bright, cool spot and water gently. The seedlings shoot up within a few weeks, and they grow on fast. Grow the young plants on in the deep, moist ground, and the white heads will cloud the garden through the summer.

Uses: medicinal.Ornamental