In late summer and early autumn you can find ripe berries
of the cramp bark or guelder rose
(Viburnum opulus) outside in nature. The shiny red, glassy,
nearly pea-sized drupes hang in the bushes in umbels. Besides tanning agents they also contain
viburnin what makes them taste bitter. Other contents are pectin and saponin.
For men and birds both, these drupes are inedible. They cause sickness
and heavy diarrhoea. Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus)
are the only bird species in Europe that feeds on the berries of the cramp
bark.
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