Sambucus canadensis
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis
- Phonetic Spelling
- sam-BOO-kus kan-ah-DEN-sis
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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American elderberry is a woody, deciduous shrub or small tree, 5 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide, that is native to North America, Venezuela, and Brazil. It is a member of the Adoxaceae (muskroot) family. It can be found in all areas of North Carolina along streams, marshes, moist forests, and disturbed areas. The genus name may be derived from sambuco, the Italian word for the elder bush.
American elderberry tolerates a wide variety of wet to dry soils but prefers rich, moist, slightly acidic soil in sun to partial shade. Plants will spread by root sucker and will form thickets if the suckers are not removed. In summer, small white flowers are borne in dense clusters. Flowers are followed by a purple-black drupe that is produced in drooping clusters from late summer to fall. The drupe is an edible fruit and when cooked can be used in pies, pancakes, and jellies. Elderberry flowers and fruits are used in winemaking. Wildlife also enjoys the fruits, and the arching branches provide a habitat for nesting birds.
Use this plant in naturalized areas, as a hedge, in a woodland, or along streams and ponds. It is a good addition to butterfly, edible, native, pollinator, or rain gardens. It is effective erosion control in moist sites. Due to the plants suckering and unkempt appearance, it is best not to use this shrub or tree in the home landscape.
Quick ID Hints:
- deciduous shrub or small tree, multi-stemmed, measuring 5 to 12 feet tall and is usually wider than it is tall
- yellowish-gray to grayish-brown bark with a white pith
- pinnately compound leaves with 5 to 11 leaflets (usually 7), leaves are 2 to 6 inches long, 0.5 to 2.5 inches wide, and have sharply serrated margins
- profuse blooms of fragrant, creamy-white flowers that appear as flat-topped or rounded clusters
- fruits are clusters of rounded, purplish-black drupes
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It has some susceptibility to canker, powdery mildew, leaf spot, borers, spider mites, and aphids. Its branches are susceptible to damage from high winds and heavy snow or ice in winter. It can be weedy.
VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Native Plant Demonstration Garden All Saints' Episcopal Church
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Aurea'
Golden foliage all season long - 'Rubra'
Pink to reddish pink bracts
- 'Aurea'
- 'Aurea', 'Rubra'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Aurea'
Golden foliage all season long - 'Rubra'
Pink to reddish pink bracts
- 'Aurea'
- 'Aurea', 'Rubra'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Sambucus
- Species:
- canadensis
- Family:
- Viburnaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The twigs and fruit have been used to create dyes for basketry. Stems used to make flutes and whistles.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America, Venezuela and Brazil
- Distribution:
- USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , HI , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV , WY Canada: MB , NB , NS , PE , QC
- Fire Risk Rating:
- medium flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Butterflies and other insects are attracted to the blooms. Its fruits are eaten by mammals and many species of songbirds. It makes an excellent nesting site for birds and provides cover for quail and pheasants. Deer browse the leaves, twigs and fruit.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Edible fruit
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Resistant to heat, drought, and soil compaction.
- Edibility:
- Cooked berries are edible and can be used in pies, pancakes, and jellies; flowers and fruits used in winemaking, marmalade, yogurt, and desserts.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Broad
- Multi-stemmed
- Open
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- 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 Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruits are clusters of rounded, edible, purplish-black drupes. They are on display from August to September. Each berry is 1/4 inch across, contains 3-5 seeds, and is borne in large drooping clusters. The fruits are used to make jellies and wine.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 6 petals/rays
- Bracts
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Many 1/4-inch fragrant creamy-white flowers appear in 4-10-inch flat-topped to rounded clusters. The small center flowers are yellowish green and insignificant but are surrounded by showy white bracts. They bloom profusely in June. Blooms on second-year wood.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Bright green compound leaves have 5 to 11 leaflets, but usually there are 7. The leaflets are opposite and have a terminal leaflet. They are oval to lance-shaped and measure 2 to 6 inches long and 0.5 to 2.5 inches wide, with sharp serrated margins. They are abruptly narrowed at the tip with a broadly wedge-shaped base. Fall foliage color is yellow.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- The bark is yellowish gray to a light grayish brown and has a warty appearance from scattered short lenticels.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Leaf Scar Shape:
- C-shaped, Cresent shaped
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Young woody branches are light grayish brown with scattered lenticels. Young shoots are light green. The pith is white.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Riparian
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Flowering Tree
- Hedge
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Erosion
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Horses
- Weak Wood
- Weedy