Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
Also known as: Red-berried Elder
Pyramidal clusters of bright red berries ripen by midsummer — earlier than common elderberry, which has flat-topped purple clusters. Berries are eaten by birds but raw fruit/seeds are toxic to humans (cooked jams use them). Formerly *S. pubens*.
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 8–12 ft
- Spacing
- 8–15 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- May, June
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, songbirds
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~42 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, hedge or screen, erosion control
- Native states
- AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY