Sambucus ebulus - Sureau Yèble

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil ou mi-ombre

Vent

Tolère les vents forts

Humidité

Humidité moyenne.

Sol

Tous sols. Tolère les sols très argileux.

pH

Sol acide ou calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 5

Habitat originel

Waste ground, woods, hedgerows and scrub. especially on calcareous soils[7, 13].

Origine géographique

Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands south and east to the Mediterranean and Himalayas.

Dangers connus

• Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, the leaves and stems of some, if not all, members of this genus are poisonous [9, 76].
• The fruit of this species has been known to cause stomach upsets to some people .
• Any toxin the fruit might contain is liable to be of very low toxicity and is destroyed when the fruit is cooked [65, 76].

Comestibilité

• Fruit - cooked .
• It is used as a flavouring in soups etc [177].
• The fruit is about 6mm in diameter and is borne in large clusters [200].
• Faites attention, voir les notes sur la toxicité .
• Leaves are used as a tea substitute [105, 177].
• Faites attention, voir les notes sur la toxicité .

Usages médicinaux

• The leaves are antiphlogistic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and laxative [4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 240].
• The fruit is also sometimes used, but it is less active than the leaves [4].
• The herb is commonly used in the treatment of liver and kidney complaints [4].
• When bruised and laid on boils and scalds, they have a healing effect [4].
• They can be made into a poultice for treating swellings and contusions [4].
• The leaves are harvested in the summer and can be dried for later use [7].
• The root is diaphoretic, mildly diuretic and a drastic purgative [4, 7, 9].
• Dried, then powdered and made into a tea, it is considered to be one of the best remedies for dropsy [4, 240].
• It should only be used with expert supervision because it can cause nausea and vertigo [9].
• A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh berries or the bark [9].
• It is used in the treatment of dropsy [9].

Autres usages

• A blue dye and an ink are obtained from the fruit [13, 46, 61, 115].
• The root juice is used to dye hair black [4].
• The leaves are said to repel mice and moles [4, 115].
• Plants make a dense ground cover when spaced about 1 metre apart each way [208].
• They are best used in large areas, roadsides etc [208].
• Our experience to date (1995) is that the plants spread vigorously but do not form a dense cover and so do not exclude other plants [K].

Culture

• Tolerates most soils, including chalk[200], but prefers a moist loamy soil [11, 200].
• Pousse bien dans les sols très argileux .
• Tolerates some shade but is best in a sunny position [1].
• Tolerates atmospheric pollution and coastal situations [200].
• A very invasive plant, sending up new shoots a metre or more away [K].
• It can be used for naturalising in the rougher parts of the garden[233], growing well on rough banks etc [1].
• The whole plant, when bruised, emits a most unpleasant fur-like smell [245].
• The bark, in particular, smells like stale perspiration [245].

Propagation

• Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame, when it should germinate in early spring .
• Stored seed can be sown in the spring in a cold frame but will probably germinate better if it is given 2 months warm followed by 2 months cold stratification first [78, 98, 113].
• Repiquez les pousses dans des pots individuels quand elles sont suffisamment grandes pour être manipulées .
• If good growth is made, the young plants can be placed in their permanent positions during the early summer .
• Otherwise, either put them in a sheltered nursery bed, or keep them in their pots in a sheltered position and plant them out in spring of the following year .
• Division of suckers in spring or autumn .
• Très facile .