Photo: Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
Also called scarlet elder, red-berried elder.
Cone-shaped white flowers in April and glowing red berries by June, the earliest berry crop for birds.
Showy flowersWildlife valueTolerates shade
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature height
- 8–12 ft
- USDA zones
- 3–7
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Sun
- Part · Full · Shade
- Soil moisture
- Average
210
Red elderberry is the cool-climate elder of mountain and northern woods, blooming and fruiting two months ahead of black elderberry. Thrushes, grosbeaks and waxwings clean the bushes in days. The raw fruit is not for people. Tolerates shade and rocky slopes; a fast screen for cool sites.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
More like this
.jpg){kind=link}