By ERIN KENNY

Ethnobotany is like a dialect in that its language is localized and specific. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I am especially versed in the language of the indigenous plants in our locale. However, like language, there is sometimes cross-over that leads to mutual understanding among people in differing parts of the world.

On vacation in South Carolina, I was pleased to notice several plants that were familiar to me. Although I am used to recognizing some of the more common European naturalized plants such as plantain, dock and dandelion, I was thrilled to see that a neighbor had chosen to landscape with Oregon grape. The discovery was especially welcome on this particular evening walk since I felt in need of a digestive after a rich Easter dinner. The ripe dusty purple berries still clung to the branches, and eating as few as four of them completely cleared up my indigestion.

Although some plants like Oregon grape are indigenous solely to a specific area of the world, many plants have close and recognizable relatives in the same genus all over the world. I was excited to see that a species of elderberry grows in the Southeast and to learn that its historical use was the same as our own variety of red elderberry, Sambucus racemosa.

The Northwest elderberries are just about to burst into full bloom and the aroma is exquisite. The white clusters of flowers can be nibbled raw or dipped in a flour-milk-egg batter and fried into lip-smacking fritters. They can also be made into the most wonderful sparkling drink with which you can amaze all your friends. The fresh and dried flowers make a delicious tea and are traditionally used for treating the flu.

Native Americans used this hardy member of the honeysuckle family for making flutes by hollowing out the poisonous pith with a hot stick. Elderberry is also a well-known insect repellant, and dairies traditionally hung their branches on walls during cheese-making to repel flies. Elderberry leaves can also be infused in water and sprayed on plants to discourage aphids. I soak the leaves in a half alcohol-half water mixture for a couple of days, then spray on the resulting concoction to keep away mosquitoes.

Although many books state that the red berries are poisonous, Native Americans ate the ripe berries after cooking and removing the seeds.

The berries were mashed into a cake and sun-dried for winter use. This cake was rehydrated in soups, adding a dose of much-needed vitamin C in the middle of winter. I often eat the berries raw to no ill effect, and in Alaska red elderberry jelly is common. Caches of elderberries have been found in archaeological sites dating back thousands of years.

Elderberry flowers have a long history of use in cosmetics since they are emollient, or skin-softening. As you collect the flowers, notice how soft and slippery the yellow pollen is.

The blossoms can be used in facial steams for dry or irritated skin or added to massage and bath oils for soothing or softening the skin. Leaves and flowers of the elderberry are common ingredients in skin salves. For dry hair, try elderberry flower tea hair rinse.

Whenever I travel I am reminded that there are an astounding number of edible and medicinal plants in every part of the world. The plant language I speak may not be identical, but there is enough overlap that I can make sense of the surrounding landscape.

— Erin Kenny is co-founder of Vashon’s Cedarsong Nature School and can be reached through their Web site at www.cedarsongnatureschool.org.