Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Black Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Also called american elderberry, common elderberry.
Broad white flower plates in June, purple-black berries in August, and a magnet for dozens of bird species.
Showy flowersEdibleWildlife valueTolerates wet soil
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature height
- 6–12 ft
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Sun
- Full · Part
- Soil moisture
- Average · Wet
210
American elderberry grows fast in wet ditches, sunny edges and ordinary garden soil. The cooked berries make syrup, wine and pie; the flowers make cordial. Cut it to the ground every few years to keep it vigorous. Raw berries and all green parts are mildly toxic, so cook the fruit.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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