Elderflower
Sambucas spp.
shimmering stupor, chartreused dreams
dance into the world of fairies
as we enter May, lacey stars bloom in our line of sight.
doilies galore, exquisite pedestals for bee feet.
opening into sunshined ivory sprays.
an intoxication diffuses the air, invoked by mists of pollen, lime green and glittering.
be wary, a crone lives amongst these branches, who demands your reverence.
nymphs and maids giggle, inebriated by the dustings of juvenile summer.
careful to watch your feet and wistful eyes, the wood might sing you to your hearts content.
“When the Elder Tree’s in flower;
When each shady kind of place
By the stream and up the lane,
Shows its mass of creamy lace—
Summer’s really come again!”
quote and artist: Cicely Mary Barker
botanical identification
flowers: creamy white clusters growing in a flat compound umbel inflorescence.
leaves: compound and pinnate with five or seven leaflets. leaflets are opposite to one another with a single leaflet at tip. the edges are toothed.
fresh harvest by eva and dylan in PA
mid process of making elderflower tincture
dried elderflower before garbling
up close of star flowers
her offerings
forms - tea, tincture, topical
ancient remedy for colds and flus
parts used: flowers (another post will be made for the berries)
energetics: warming and cooling, slightly drying, slightly sweet
- diaphoretic releasing heat from the body - lowering fevers
- soothing inflammation in the upper respiratory system
- allergic response management - flowers contain quercetin
- cooling hot and inflamed skin - poultice, liniment, infusion
- delightful champagne, wine, and liqueur
- eliciting childlike giddiness
“but give me elderflower champagne
fermented from sugar, lemon and hand-picked blossom,
fresh, golden and sparkling”
Paul Hansford
pressing of elderflower tincture
sway into the delicate floral scent and embrace the merriment
THE WITCH’S KINDRED
“I pledge you lifelong love: belladonna,
the dark Valencienne lace of the elderflower,
the crow, new moon, hemlock’s grey bell,
tobacco flowering in the night,
the toad, hyena, and the eagle owl.
I, a witch without a broomstick but with a burnt heart, lovesick
for some poor distant demon, gazing clear
into the world like a crystal ball,
I press you to my soul and love you all.
You are the witch’s kindred –
feared, beloved...”
(1928)
Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska