Breeding European Black Elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
There are many wonderful named selections of European black elderberries ( Sambucus nigra ) selected for either productivity of berries or for ornamental use. One area that has been underdeveloped despite the great potential is the selection of dual purpose elderberries which combine both ornamental traits such as cut-leaf/lace-leaf and or purple or variegated foliage with larger berry size and increased self fertility to ensure heavy fruit set. In order to pursue these goals it is useful to understand the genetics controlling the various traits. Following is what I have been able to determine: Cut-leaf/lace-leaf type - When crossing two cut-leaf elderberry clones I found that 100% of the resulting offspring expressed this trait. The first true leaves to develop after germination didn't fully express this morphological variation, but as seedlings became well developed the foliage uniformly became heavily dissected like the parent plants. Alternatively, when I crossed a cut-