Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Red
Size Class: 6-12 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AK , AZ , CA , CO , CT , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , NC , ND , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OR , PA , RI , SD , TN , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY
Canada: NB , NS , PE , QC
Native Distribution: Nf. to MN, Alt. & e. B.C., s. to PA, mts. to GA, n. IN, n.e. IA, the Black Hills & CO
Native Habitat: Rich or rocky woods; slopes; moist cliffs & ravines
USDA Native Status: L48(N), AK(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: One of the earliest native shrubs in bloom. Fast-growing and short-lived.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Very high. Birds eat berries.
Use Food: Though many people think (incorrectly) that the fruit is poisonous, it was eaten widely by British Columbia First Peoples. Clusters of berries were gathered in July and August. Berries were detached back at camp and cooked overnight in steaming pits or boiled in redcedar boxes. Berries were placed over fires on skunk cabbage leaves and dried into cakes for later use. To improve the flavour, red elderberries were mixed with other kinds of berries. Recently people mix the berries with sugar and make wine jelly or jam.
Use Other: Note that roots, stems, bark, leaves, flowers and unripe fruit contain poisonous alkaloids and other substances that may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Medicinal tea from the plant may cause poisoning. Children have been poisoned when they used the hollowed out stems for peashooters.
Warning: POISONOUS PARTS: All parts. Low toxicity if eaten, not edible. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coma. Toxic Principle: Cyanogenic glycoside and alkaloid.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds

Value to Beneficial Insects

Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees
Supports Conservation Biological Control

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Description: Easily started from cuttings. May also be propagated by treated seed.
Seed Collection: Collect fruits by stripping or cutting from the branches. Fruits may be dried or macerated and the seeds extracted.
Seed Treatment: Seed must be cold-moist stratified for two months. This treatment may be preceded by a 10-15 minute soak in H2SO4.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa