Elderberrytree, Sambucus Canadensis, or sweet elder or American elder is a native to North and Central America, a robust deciduous suckering fruit producing shrub, oftentimes has multiple stems that are widely -spreading or arching. Elderberry reaches a fully grown height of 3 to 4 meters.


Elderberry is a member of the Adoxaceae family, genus Sambucus, close related to the European Sambucus nigra. It grows mainly in sunny positions in a diversity of soil conditions including both wet and dry soils.

The leaves are formatted in opposite pairs, compound with five to nine leaflets, the leaflets approximately 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. In summertime, it bears thick, large, 20-30 cm in diameter bundles of creamy-white flowers carried on five-stemmed stalks. Individual flowers are 5-6 mm in diameter, with five flower petals.

Elderbery Fruit

The elderberry fruit is small berries like, purple-black about 5-7mm in diameter. These juicy little fruits are edible, when cooked, and a rich source of iron and with significant amounts of vitamins A, B, C and it is one of the richest sources of anthocyanins, which are the largest group of water-soluble pigments in plants.

You must not consume the berries unless they are cooked.

The berries are employed for making jam, jelly, pies, juice, and elderberry wine. Additional uses of the fruit include medicinal products; emollients and poultices for burns and blisters and to make a dye. While the berries are edible other parts of the plant are poisonous as they contain cyanide.

Elderbery Propagation Methods

Plant propagation is easy from hardwood or softwood cuttings, root cuttings, or suckers.

Dead elder wood is the favored habitat of the mushroom Auricularia auricula-judae also called “Judas’ ear fungus”.

According to an old folklore notion the Elder Tree was alleged to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches.

Elderberries, Elderberry tree, American elder, sweet elder

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