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Black Elderberry
Sambucus nigra
  
About Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) 38 Nurseries Carry This Plant Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a species in the relatively newly designated Adoxaceae (Moschatel) family. It is native to most of Europe, northwest Africa, southwest Asia, and western North America. It is quite common and widespread in California. Blue Elderberry (S. caerulea) is also quite common.

Black Elderberry is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Its bark, light grey when young, changes to a coarse grey outer bark with lengthwise furrowing. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs.

The hermaphrodite flowers are borne in summer, in large flat flower clusters 4 to 10 inches in diameter. Flies pollinate the individual white flowers. The flowers produce dark purple-to-black berries in drooping clusters in the late autumn; they are an important food for many fruit-eating birds.

In the garden, this species likes regular water but can also adapt to summer drought. Growth tends to be somewhat unruly, so pruning for appearance may be desired. Unripe fruits may be toxic to people, but ripe fruits are reportedly edible, probably best when cooked. Native people used the leaves for medicinal purposes. The central pith of stems was hollowed out to make musical instruments.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub, Tree

Size
Size
13.1 - 30 ft tall
10 - 20 ft wide

Form
Form
Spreading, Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream, White, Purple, Black

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Insects and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. Many birds and some mammals are attracted to the berries.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 19 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates most soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use caution in placement, because the berries can be messy, staining concrete or cars. Can be used with a wide variety of chaparral and woodland plants, including Firs (Abies spp.), Pines (Pinus spp.), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spsp), Ceanothus spp., Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Mahonia/Barberry (Berberis spp.), and Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spp.).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Prune to shape in winter when it is leafless. New growth in spring will be vigorous.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Valleys, canyons, washes, slopes, seasonal drainages, and other areas where a little extra moisture is present. Sometimes found as part of wetland/riparian community, other times in portions of chaparral or woodland that have moderate water levels.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.7" - 153.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 5.67", Coldest Month: 24.3" - 57.2", Hottest Month: 47.0" - 80.6", Humidity: 0.01" - 31.90", Elevation: -221" - 10255"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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