Red-Berried Elder

Sambucus racemosa (sam-BYOO-kus ray-see-MO-suh PEW-benz)

Family: Viburnaceae Native Understory (15-40 ft)

Understory (15-40 ft)Native

Red Elderberry is a deciduous, native shrub found in spruce-fir and northern hardwood forests and rocky environments at high elevations in the mountains, though sometimes descending in our area (mainly in VA and northward) to elevations as low as 75 m. It has an upright, vase-shaped form. As for wildlife, it attracts birds and wildlife with its berries and butterflies and other insects with its flowers. It can be weedy, spreading by root suckers that can use pruning in the late winter to keep localized; otherwise, it will naturalize and continue to spread.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 60 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 2 - Understory (15-40 ft)

See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Amelanchier arborea Prunus americana Rhus glabra

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions

Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Perennial; Shrub
Life cycle: Woody
USDA zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage: Good Drainage | Moist
Available space: 3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region: Mountains
Mature size: Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate: Rapid
Maintenance: Medium
Canopy layer: 2 - Understory (15-40 ft)

Form & Appearance

Habit / form: Dense; Erect; Vase
Texture: Medium
Foliage: Deciduous
Leaf color: Green
Leaf type: Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement: Opposite
Leaf shape: Pinnatifid
Leaf margin: Serrate
Hairs present: No
Leaf detail: Lustrous dark green, compound with 5 to 7 leaflets, toothed on the margin.
Flower color: Cream/Tan; White
Flower value: Fragrant; Showy
Flower form: Panicle
Flower shape: Dome
Flower size: 3-6 inches
Flower detail: Creamy white elongated panicle of flowers bloom from April to June.
Bloom time: Spring; Summer
Fruit color: Red/Burgundy
Fruit type: Berry
Fruit value: Edible; Showy
Fruit size: < 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail: Red fruits display from June to August. They have a tart flavor.
Stem detail: Soft wood and a large, brown pith.

Wildlife & Ecology

Native status: Native
Origin: USA, North Carolina, native to Europe and Asia
Wildlife value: Fruit attracts birds and wildlife, flowers attract butterflies and other insects.
Attracts: Bees; Hummingbirds; Moths; Pollinators; Songbirds
Play value: Attracts Pollinators; Edible fruit; Wildlife Food Source

Food & Medicine

Edible parts: Fruit
Harvest time: Summer
Fruit type: Berry

Edibility

Edible, but very tart; usually cooked

Landscape Use

Landscape location: Naturalized Area
Landscape theme: Edible Garden; Native Garden; Pollinator Garden
Garden tags: #small mammals #food source herbage #larval host plant #food source nectar #food source pollen #hummingbird friendly #food source summer #deciduous #vigorous #native garden #pollinator plant #bird friendly #edible fruits #FACU Piedmont Mountains #Audubon #food source soft mast fruit #bee friendly #Coastal FACU #showy fruits #wildlife friendly #NC native #NC Native Pollinator Plant #fragrant flowers #weedy #edible

Problems & Resistance

Problems: Weedy
Particularly resistant to: Heat, drought, and soil compaction tolerant.
Poison severity: Low
Poison parts: Bark; Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms: Causes low toxicity if eaten.
Toxic principle: Cyanogenic glycoside and alkaloid
Contact dermatitis: No
Toxicity summary: Low severity poison; parts: Bark; Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds; Stems

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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