Peith or Guelder-rose

Shrub of the damp
A deciduous, spreading, asymmetrical shaped shrub, growing to fifteen feet tall, peith/ guelder rose is also known as walter-elder and whitten. Other names for this shrub include cramp bark and snowball tree and all are species of viburnum and native to Europe and Asia.

Happy in the shade
Excellent in damp soil, scrubland and thriving on limestone, guelder rose prefers to grow at low altitudes and in semi-shade. Its three to five lobed leaves grow opposite one another, being two to four inches long and broad, with a rounded base and jagged outer edge. Slightly similar to a maple leaf, guelder rose leaves can be distinguished by their slightly wrinkled surface.

Ring of flowers
Growing from the top of the stems, its flat, cream/white, ‘lace-cap’ flowerheads appear in May or June and are visited by many insects including hoverflies. Guelder rose has multiple flowerheads, up to four and a half inches diameter, each having a ring of outer sterile flowers with conspicuous petals, surrounding a center of much smaller fertile flowers, that are pollinated by insects.

Glowing fruit
The fruit is a globe-shaped bright red ‘light-bulb’ (called a drupe), just over three inches diameter, each containing a single seed. Eaten by birds, these large clusters of round, brilliant glossy red fruits seem translucent, and remain on the plant throughout the winter. Beetles and their larvae also feed on it. Eaten raw, the fruit is edible in small quantities, yet it is acidic and mildly toxic, causing vomiting. It can however be made into a jelly or jam like a cranberry.

Cramp bark
Medicinally, the guelder rose has extensive uses, since both leaves and fruits are laxative, while its bark contains ‘scopolamine’ or “Cramp Bark”, which helps painful menstrual cramps. A homoeopathic remedy is made from its fresh bark as a tonic for heart and relax cardiovascular muscles. Guelder-rose also treats swollen glands and asthma, colic, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, as well as nervous tension, spasms and debility. A red dye is obtained from the fruit and can be made from the dried berries, while the wood can be used to make skewers.

Winter Feast
Guelder-rose contains the important winter feast of Samhain on Nov 1 (now called All Saints, with Halloween preceding it). In Ukraine it symbolises both fighting spirit as well as the more traditional symbol of beauty. Girls ‘like Guelder Roses’ appear in Ukranian songs, while in Siberia, guelder rose berries were sometimes fermented and distilled into an alcoholic drink.