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Sambucus racemosa

Red Elderberry

At a Glance: Shrub to small tree with clusters of small white flowers and red berries.

Height: 20 feet (6 meters).
Growth Form: Tree or shrub.
Stems: Soft pithy greenish brown twigs with lines and furrows, bark dark reddish-brown, warty, branches opposite, new twigs are purplish.
Leaves: Opposite; compound with 5-7 opposite leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped, pointed, sharply toothed, somewhat hairy underneath, strong characteristic odor; leaflet size: 5-15 cm long.
Flowers: Pyramidal clusters of small creamy-white flowers with an unpleasant odor.
Flowering Period: May, June, July.
Fruits: Small bright red berry-like drupes, each with 3-5 seeds, in large pyramidal clusters; color is rarely yellow, orange, or brown.


Photo © 2003, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACU (facultative upland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Fruits eaten by many birds - sparrows, thrushes, warblers, bluebirds, jays, tanagers, grosbeaks, sapsuckers, woodpeckers, and band-tailed pigeons. Insects: Nectar eaten by bumblebees and butterflies. Cavity-nesting bees use broken branches as nest sites. Mammals: Fruits eaten by small mammals. Foliage and twigs are consumed by browsers - deer and elk.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: Easy to hollow out stems used as whistles, drinking straws, blowguns, and pipe stems.
Medicinal Uses: Makah pounded fresh leaves and put them on abscesses or boils. The Cowlitz but them on sore joints, or use bark dipped in hot water. The Squaxin mash leaves and use it to help blood poisoning. The Quinault use bark to bring flowing milk to new mothers.
Food Uses: Berries were important food for peoples on northern and central coast. They were boiled to make a sauce and stems and seeds were discarded. The berries also make a good jelly. Berries can make wine if cooked first.
Toxicity: Stems, bark, leaves, and root are toxic from cyanide compounds; berries are edible once cooked..

Landscape Uses: Best in a wild part of the garden.
Interesting Facts: Raw berries may cause nausea.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 117.
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 51.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 47.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 474.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 452.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 114.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 79.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 262.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 137.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 70.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 163.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.