Can Lemony Lace Elderberry be used to fruit Black Lace Elderberry? - Ask Extension
Hello,
I’m trying to find a companion elderberry for my Black Lace, to try to get some fruit for next year. On the Proven Winners’ site for Black...
Knowledgebase
Can Lemony Lace Elderberry be used to fruit Black Lace Elderberry? #720306
Asked September 02, 2020, 3:58 PM EDT
Hello,
I’m trying to find a companion elderberry for my Black Lace, to try to get some fruit for next year. On the Proven Winners’ site for Black Lace, it says to use Black Beauty, Instant Karma, or Laced Up. It specifically states:
“PLEASE NOTE: To produce berries, you'll need a Black Beauty®, Instant Karma®, or Laced Up® elderberry as a pollinator”
So my question is, my local nursery carries Lemony Lace now and I like it- can I use that in the place of the above mentioned 3 options (which I never see in stores nor prefer over Lemony Lace in terms of looks and size?
Thank you!
Erica
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Erica,
The variety 'Black Lace' is a cultivar of the European species Sambucus nigra, as are the cultivars mentioned on the P.W. site - 'Black Beauty', 'Instant Karma', and 'Laced Up'. The variety 'Lemony Lace', however, is a cultivar of the species Red Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa. (This species happens to be native to much of the Northern Hemisphere.)
In our area, these two Elderberry species reportedly bloom at slightly different times (early summer vs. late spring, respectively) and thus may not overlap enough for good cross-pollination, if the pollen is compatible between species at all. Therefore, since we don't know if this will be a good pairing, it would be safest to assume that the pollinator for 'Black Lace' would need to be another variety of Sambucus nigra.
To complicate things slightly, the American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) has recently been reclassified by some horticulturists as Sambucus nigra subspecies canadensis, which implies they might be cross-fertile (the American and the European). In your circumstances, that may mean that local wild Elderberries (or any you plant) might also serve to pollinate your 'Black Beauty'. While there is a golden-leaved cultivar ('Aurea') of American Elderberry, the foliage isn't as finely feathered-looking as 'Lemony Lace'. Ultimately, this may have to be an experiment, as we do not have solid references on cross-compatible Elderberry pollen.
Miri
The variety 'Black Lace' is a cultivar of the European species Sambucus nigra, as are the cultivars mentioned on the P.W. site - 'Black Beauty', 'Instant Karma', and 'Laced Up'. The variety 'Lemony Lace', however, is a cultivar of the species Red Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa. (This species happens to be native to much of the Northern Hemisphere.)
In our area, these two Elderberry species reportedly bloom at slightly different times (early summer vs. late spring, respectively) and thus may not overlap enough for good cross-pollination, if the pollen is compatible between species at all. Therefore, since we don't know if this will be a good pairing, it would be safest to assume that the pollinator for 'Black Lace' would need to be another variety of Sambucus nigra.
To complicate things slightly, the American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) has recently been reclassified by some horticulturists as Sambucus nigra subspecies canadensis, which implies they might be cross-fertile (the American and the European). In your circumstances, that may mean that local wild Elderberries (or any you plant) might also serve to pollinate your 'Black Beauty'. While there is a golden-leaved cultivar ('Aurea') of American Elderberry, the foliage isn't as finely feathered-looking as 'Lemony Lace'. Ultimately, this may have to be an experiment, as we do not have solid references on cross-compatible Elderberry pollen.
Miri
Thank you Miri, for your detailed answer- the garden centers couldn’t answer me and nothing online helped either, so I really appreciate it! I will look into ordering one of the compatible elderberries instead and will pass on the Lemony Lace. Thank you!
