Sambucus nigra - Black Elderberry

Sizes available: 1-2' whip, bare root, arriving Spring, 2026, pre-orders welcome

Basics: zones 4-8, 5-12' x 6-10', full to part sun (will berry less with less light), large clusters of tiny white flowers late spring into early summer, fruit ripens to dark purple in late summer, prefers consistent moisture.

Synonyms: Sambucus canadensis, Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis

Common names: Black Elderberry, Canada Elderberry, American Black Elderberry, Common Elderberry, Tapiro, Sauco, Mexican Elderberry

Family: Adoxaceae (Caprifoliaceae)

Origin/Distribution: North America east of the Rocky Mountains and south into Bolivia, Venezuela, and Brazil. Native to Maine.

Habitat: thicket, scrubland, lakeshore, woodland edge, wetland margin, disturbed areas, moist and lightly shaded forest, marsh, steam edge

More: This thicket-forming, tap-rooted shrub has high ecosystem value. Here are just some of its gifts: Provides nesting areas and cover for songbirds. Mammals, and birds such as Ruffed Grouse, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, and Wood Thrush feed on the berries. Eastern Box and Eastern Mud Turtles also enjoy the fruit. Deer may browse this plant. Tiny pollinators are attracted by the fragrant tiny flowers. Elderberry is a larval host for numerous small moths. The Elderberry Borer Beetle, Desmocerus palliatus, feeds on the roots. This beautiful long-horned beetle is native to Maine. 

The fruit, leaves, and inner bark have been used to make dye. The cooked berries can be made into jam, jelly, and syrup as well as used in pies and pancakes. The flowers have been eaten as fritters or in pancakes and have been used to make wine. However, the seeds are toxic. The bark, roots, leaves and un-cooked berries are also toxic, so proceed with caution. Has been used medicinally in numerous cultures. The hollow stems have many uses, including for whistles (after removing the pith). You can cut this plant back hard to rejuvenate it, but as it blooms on second year wood, you will sacrifice a year of bloom. This plant is very closely related to the European Black Elderberry.

Even More: This is a good place to discuss respect. Prior to harvesting from an elderberry, it is customary to ask permission from the Elder Mother. Here is an example of asking before cutting: "Old girl, give me some of thy wood, and I will give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree." Leaving a small gift is customary. Cutting an elder without permission invites misfortune and burning elder brings death to your home. This respect for taking from nature has been practiced for millennia in numerous cultures. I highly recommend adopting some sort of acknowledgment and thanking rituals into your life including when you collect plants, rocks, feathers, bones etc. from your surroundings, or when you hunt or fish. You will feel all the better for it - connected and filled with gratitude. There is simply no downside. 

Nursery: Cold Stream Farm

Image credits: Frank Meuschke of Shelterwood Gardens