A good deal of searching and also taking advantage of the fact that basically every flowering plant produces some form of fruit.
January 3rd, Day 959: Sambucus australis
Fruit Info: “Sambucus australis is a species of tree in the family Adoxaceae. It is native to South America.
Sambucus australis ranges from southeastern and southern Brazil to Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina.” - another entire Wikipedia article
Fruit Info: Sambucus canadensis is one of the species of elderberry that is native to the United States. The unripe fruits are toxic and can even result in death if consumed.
Fruit Info: For the fruit of the day today we have the Blue Elderberry / Blue Elder / Sambucus cerulea. This fruit is blue-ish black color, although you’d be forgiven for not being able to tell from this picture. It is found throughout various regions in the western United States, Mexico and I’m British Columbia.
Fruit Info: Today we have the filler episode of berries. It’s not interesting in the slightest and really just served to add more runtime to the series.
Fruit Info: For today our fruit is the American Red Elder, Sambucus pubens. This fruit is a native to North America where it serves as a major food source for some birds. That being said, it has an extremely bitter taste and can cause digestive problems for humans if they eat enough of them.
Fruit Info: For this fruit of the day we have the Japanese Red Elder, Sambucus sieboldians. It is basically like all the other elder berries so far except this one is found in Japan and Korea.
Fruit Info: Sambucus racemosa is the red berried elder and it will be our fruit of the day. It is a native to Europe, North America, and Asia where it grows mostly in moist woodlands. When eaten raw these fruits are poisonous but can be cooled in a way that removes their toxicity.
Fruit Info: The European Elder, European Elderberry, European Black Elderberry, European Black Elder, Black Elder, Black Elderberry and Tramman are all names for our fruit of the day, Sambucus nigra. Like many elderberries, this fruit has toxins that are potentially dangerous if consumed raw. Despite these toxins the fruit can be cooked and then consumed in the forms of jelly, jam, wine, chutney and pontack sauce.
Fruit Info: Viburnum opulus is a somewhat acidic fruit that you can find growing in Europe, Northern Africa, and Central Asia. While you can eat this fruit in forms such as jelly, it is not recommended to consume very much as it’s is mildly toxic and can cause problems like vomiting if you eat too much. Interestingly this fruit can be found throughout Ukrainian folklore.
Fruit Info: Referred to scientifically as Viburnum lentago, some of the other names for this fruit of the day include the Sheepberry, Nannyberry, and Sweet Viburnum. As is suggested by the name Sweet Viburnum, this fruit is both edible and it has a sweet flavor. Being edible is pretty uncommon in this genus so it’s a nice change of pace.
Fruit Info: For the fruit of the day today we have the Possumhaw, or as scientists like to say, the Possumhaw (but they have to call it Viburnum nubum). This fruit has found medicinal use for local indigenous peoples.
Fruit Info: “Viburnum furcatum, the forked viburnum or scarlet leaved viburnum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae). Growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall and broad, it is a substantial deciduois shrub with rounded oval bronze-green leaves, turning red in autumn. Scented white flower-heads resembling those of lacecap hydrangeas are borne in summer, followed by black fruits.” - the whole Wikipedia article.
Fruit Info: “Viburnum erubescens, the reddish viburnum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Viburnaceae. It is native to Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, and Vietnam. It is a deciduous shrub that grows in forests and scrub. Flowers are fragrant and bloom April to June. The unimproved species is available from commercial suppliers, as is a putative variety, Viburnum erubescens var. gracilipes, the slender blushing viburnum, and a number of cultivars, including 'Foster', 'Lloyd Kenyon', 'Milke Danda', and 'Ward van Teylingen'.”
- the whole Wikipedia article on the plant and fruit.
Fruit Info: Today’s fruit is Viburnum rufidulum and it is a popular fruit among some species of birds. This drupe is a native to the eastern and central United States. It is said to apparently taste like raisins.
Fruit Info: The wayfarer is a type of mildly toxic fruit native to central, southern and Western Europe, along with northwestern Africa and Southwest Asia. Viburnum lantana cam cause problems like vomiting if consumed in large quantities.
Fruit Info: Today for our fruit of the day we have the witch hobble, Viburnum lantanoides, and it is a native to the eastern US and Canada. “The fruits can be eaten raw or made into jelly.” Reads the entire used section of the Wikipedia article. So yeah, neat.
Fruit Info: “Viburnum davidii, the David viburnum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae native to western China. Growing to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub with large, glossy, oval leaves up to 15 cm (6 in) long. Each leaf is deeply veined lengthwise with three curved lines. Round clusters of tiny white flowers are produced in late spring, followed in late summer and autumn by oval blue fruits. Both male and female plants are required to produce fruit.” - The Wikipedia article on the plant that grows today’s fruit.
Fruit Info: “Viburnum acerifolium, the mapleleaf viburnum, maple-leaved arrowwoodor dockmackie, is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern North America from southwestern Quebec and Ontario south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. It is adapted for USDA hardiness zones of 4 to 8” - Wikipedia
Fruit Info: The bright red color of these berries helps them at being more attractive to birds, a valuable tool for a type of plant that requires birds to help them spread. Viburnum betilifolium is also native to China and the island of Taiwan.