284 Indian current
285. BLACK HAW (Viburnum rufidulum Raf.) or possum haw: a shrub or more often a small tree; in woods, preferring lowlands. Leaves: thick, glossy, finely serrate, about 3 inches long and half as wide; a rusty fuzz at the base of the veins beneath; simple, opposite, red in autumn. Twigs: sometimes coated with rusty fuzz as the buds always are. Bark: dark reddish brown, with small, roundish scales. Flowers: late March or early April, white, in flat clusters about 5 or 6 inches across. Fruit: oval, about one-half inch long, blue with a bloom, containing a single stony seed; especially attractive in autumn, turning from red to blue. Wood: ill-scented.
285 black haw
286. ELDERBERRY or common elder (Sambucus canadensis L.) usually a tall shrub; common in low, rich woods. Leaves: pinnately compound, of 5 to 11 oblong, or oval, smooth leaflets, 2 to 4 inches long, the lower often 3-parted; sharply serrate, opposite. Twigs: with thin woody layer surrounding thick white pith. Flowers: small, white, in large, compound, flat clusters; sweet-scented. Fruit: purplish black, glossy, juicy, popular with birds, ripe in late summer. [K] (p. 381).
286 elderberry
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Blakeslee & Jarvis, “Trees in Winter,” Macmillan, 1926. Includes only the trees found in New England, about 25 of them also here; illustrated. Contains a good section on the care and planting of trees.
B. Britton & Brown, “Illustrated Flora of the Northern States and Canada,” 3 vol., Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1913 edition. These volumes, though technical, are helpful in the identification of many plants because of the detailed line drawings which illustrate every species.