FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Distinctive raised lenticels on bark; opposite, compound leaves. Fruit edible upon boiling and used in preserves, wine and other food; however, the rest of the plant is poisonous if consumed.
Synonym(s): Sambucus canadensis
Description: Deciduous shrub up to 4 m tall, stems with white, spongy or hollow pith.
Leaves: Opposite and pinnately compound with 5 to 11 leaflets (usually 7). Leaflets with toothed margins. Lower leaflets sometimes divided into 3 parts. Leaflet width variable from 5 to 15 cm long by 2 to 6 cm wide. Leaflets may contain small stipule-like tissue at attachment point. Stipule present at leaf base.
Flowers/Fruit: Inflorescence consists of a dense flat-topped or gently rounded cyme clustered with small, white 5-petaled flowers. Fruit is a purple berry. Blooms late April into July, sometimes later; fruits July/August.
Habit and Range: Common statewide in sunny, wet areas, including freshwater marshes, swamp openings, alluvial forests, wet pastures; opportunistic in disturbed sites.
Taxonomic Note: Our North Carolina elderberry is Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis (Synonym: Sambucus canadensis).
