Common elder is also known as just Elder but has many other names. It is a small deciduous tree, native to the UK and in much of Europe. You're more likely to see this as a large shrub rather than a small tree. Quite often it is is tucked in hedgerows along roads, industrial estates as well as parks. It's fairly common throughout Exeter and offers white creamy flowers during May and June and black elder berries throughout Autumn. It is this plant that gives us Elder flower cordial, squash,tea, wine and other drinks. Beware that the berries are mildly poisonous so please don't go eating them raw - you'll end up being sick or worse. The berries need to be washed and cooked before being eaten or used for wine, etc. The leaves are also poisonous. 
It is thought the name elder comes the Anglo-saxon 'aeld', meaning fire, because the hollow stems were used as bellows to blow air into the centre of a fire. Below are some useful links:
Leaves of the Common elder
Trunk and bark of Common elder
 The leaves are pinnate (resembling a feather), with 5-7 oval and toothed leaflets. They have a rather unpleasant smell when touched. The leaves turn yellow during the Autumn like most deciduous plants.
Leaves and flowers of Common elder
Close up of the leaves of the flowers of Common elder
The flowers are borne on large flat umbels around 10-30cm across. The individual flowers are creamy coloured, highly scented, and have five petals. They are in flower during May and June.
Young flowers of Common elder
Common elder in the rain
After pollination by insects, each flower develops into a small, purple-black, sour berry, which ripens from late-summer to autumn. Elders are hermaphrodite, meaning both the male and female reproductive parts are contained within the same flower.
PHOTOS
QUICK FACTS
  • Elder is a small deciduous tree, native to the UK and in much of Europe
  •  It is thought the name elder comes the Anglo-saxon 'aeld', meaning fire, because the hollow stems were used as bellows to blow air into the centre of a fire
  • Mature trees grow to a height of around 15m and can live for 60 years
  • Elder is characterised by its short trunk (bole), and grey-brown, corky, furrowed bark. It doesn't have many branches
  • Elders are hermaphrodite, meaning both the male and female reproductive parts are contained within the same flower
  • Flies are mainly responsible for the pollination of flowers
  •  The green unpleasant smelling twigs are hollow or have a white pith (spongy tissue) inside
  • In the past, people used the leaves (attached to the horse's mane) to repel flies during riding
  • It often grows near rabbit warrens or badger setts, where the animals distribute the seed via their droppings
  • Elder is a popular small tree for gardens, and many cultivated varieties exist with different coloured foliage and flowers
  • Elder is widespread in many temperate and subtropical regions of the world. It grows in woodland, scrub, hedgerows and on wasteland
  • The flowers provide nectar for a variety of insects and the berries are eaten by birds and mammals
  • Small mammals such as dormice and bank voles eat both the berries and the flowers
  • Many moth caterpillars feed on elder foliage, including the white spotted pug, swallowtail, dot moth and buff ermine
  • A mature Elder produces 12 to 15 pounds of berries per year
  • The flowers and berries are mildly poisonous, so should be cooked before eating. The leaves are also poisonous
  • All parts of the plant contain a toxic chemical called sambunigrin
  • The fruit are often used to make wine, cordial or tea, or fried to make fritters
  • Fruit of elderberry is traditionally used in the manufacture of wine, brandy and gin in certain European countries
  • The vitamin C rich berries are often used to make preserves and wine, and can be baked in a pie with blackberries
  • The fruit are rich source of dietary fibres, vitamins C, A and vitamins of the B group and minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc
  • Elderberry is used in traditional medicine for treatment of common cold, cough, flu, and fever
  • It is also used to make natural dyes
  • Elder wood is hard and yellow-white. Mature wood is used for whittling and carving, while smaller stems can be hollowed out to make craft items
  • Elder may be susceptible to black fly and the sap-sucking red spider mite
  • It was thought that if you burned elder wood you would see the devil, but if you planted elder by your house it would keep the devil away
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If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about Common elder the better. Many thanks!