The North China Red Elder is a large, flowering, deciduous shrub or small tree in the viburnum family, native to Siberia, China, and Japan. The plant can reach a mature height of 18 feet. The branches of older trees are an attractive reddish brown with highly visible narrow elliptic lenticels on the trunk. The dense cream-colored flowers appear at the same time as the dark green leaves. The plant is distinguished from other species by the foliage, black fruit, and its unpleasant odor. The North China Red Elder does best in moist soil in a partial to fully shaded site. It will tolerate wind, air pollution, and poor soil, but does not do well in the salt air of the coast. The plant is hardy and its relatively small size makes it useful in the landscape as a windbreak or hedge. The stems of S. williamsii are used in Chinese medicine, in combination with other herbs, to relieve swelling and pain with bone fractures. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
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.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are unevenly pinnate with leaflets ovate or narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate and irregularly serrate, sometimes with several glandular teeth at the base or below middle. The lowest pair of leaflets may have bluish protrusions at the base.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, dense terminal panicles appear simultaneously with leaves in spring and early summer. The corolla is pinkish in bud and white or yellowish when open.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small, red ovoid fruit that is sometimes bluish or purplish black appear in late summer to early fall.
Bark color
Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Old branches reddish brown, with conspicuous, narrowly elliptic lenticels.
Stem detail
Pith is brown.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Southern Siberia, China, Korea, Japan
Wildlife value
Flowers are pollinated by insects.
Attracts
Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used for its medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine.