Also called American elder, this deciduous shrub or small tree is native to North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south to Bolivia, where it usually grows in moist areas such as floodplains, wet ditches, marshland edges, and thickets. It is a member of the muskroot family, Adoxaceae, a small plant family that also includes moschatel. The plant grows up to 12′ tall with an equal or greater width, and has arching branches and a rounded form. The compound leaves have 5-11 leaflets (usually 7) that are 2-5″ long, oval to lance-shaped, and have finely toothed margins. They are green during the growing season and turn yellow in the fall. In early to mid summer, creamy-white, star-shaped flowers appear in terminal rounded or flat topped clusters. The cluster are 3-10″ across and the flowers are 1/4″ across, fragrant and attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. Drooping clusters of fruits follow in late summer and are composed of purplish-black berries less than 1/4″ across containing 3-5 stone-like seeds. The edible fruits are used to make jelly and wine and provide food for birds and mammals. Plants sucker and can form thickets so are best placed in a naturalized area where they can be used as a hedge or in woodland, native plant, edible, butterfly, pollinator, bird, wildlife or rain gardens. The genus name, Sambucus, comes from the Greek word σαμβύκη (sambúkē) the name of ancient stringed instrument of Asiatic origin. The specific epithet, canadensis, refers to its native range of North America.
Type: Flowering deciduous shrub or small tree
Outstanding Feature: Flowers, edible fruit, tolerance of wet soil
Form: Rounded
Growth Rate: Moderate
Bloom: Terminal flat topped or rounded clusters of tiny, creamy white fragrant flowers in early to mid summer
Size: 5-12′ H x 6-12′ W
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium to occasionally wet, well-drained, slightly acidic; tolerates wide variety of wet to dry soils.
Hardiness: Zones 3-9
Care: Prune hard in spring to maintain form
Pests and Diseases: Susceptible to canker, powdery mildew, leaf spot, borers, spider mites, and aphids.
Propagation: Softwood cutting in early summer, hardwood cuttings in winter
Outstanding Selections:
‘Aurea’
‘Rubra’
Photo Credit: H. Zell, Wikimedia Commons