Description + Attributes:
Sometimes propagated as an ornamental shrub, the elderberry is a member of the honeysuckle family. It attracts birds and butterflies and can be pruned back every few years to keep it looking good in a landscaped garden. This deciduous small tree produces a fruit that, in recent years has become very popular. The white flowers transform into dark purple fruit late summer. Although the flowers and berries can be edible all other parts of this plant are poisonous containing toxic calcium oxalate crystals.
- Grows in a rounded shape.
- Should be pruned regularly to maintain its multi-stemmed form.
- Blooms in the summer, producing small, star-shaped yellowish-white flowers in clusters 6–10" wide.
- Yields edible dark purple berries August–September--good for jellies, pies, juice and wine. For best fruiting, plant multiple shrubs.
- Features pinnately compound dark green leaves with 5–11 (typically 7) leaflets, each 2–6" long.
- Can be pruned into a single-stemmed small tree.
Tree Type
Broadleaf
Flowering
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Mature Size
Height 6’-12’
& Width 6’-12’
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Growth Rate
Fast
24”+/ year
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Wildlife Value
The edible berries provide food for birds and other animals.
PREFERENCES
Full Sun/Partial Shade
Loamy, rich, sandy, silty loam, well drained, wet and clay soils.
Moderate Drought Tolerance