Sign inRequest access

Elderberry

Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis

American elderberry is a fast, suckering native shrub with broad, flat clusters of creamy flowers followed by heavy bunches of small purple-black berries. Both the flowers and the ripe berries are used, mostly cooked into jelly, syrup and pies or made into wine. Only ripe berries and flowers are safe: the rest of the plant is poisonous.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis
Origin
Eastern North America, including Florida
Tree size
10–12 ft tall and wide; spreads into thickets from suckers unless they're pulled
Growth rate
Medium to fast
Sun
Full sun for the best crop; takes partial shade.
Soil
Grows in almost any soil, even wet ground, but crops best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil. Roots are shallow, so mulch well and water 1–2 inches a week in dry spells. Use a raised bed where water stands after rain.
Soil pH
6.0–6.5 is best; tolerates acid and alkaline soils
Pollination
Many varieties are thought to set fruit on their own, with wind and insects helping. Not well studied.
Cold hardiness
Very cold-hardy; drops its leaves in winter
USDA zones
4–10
Years to first fruit
A light crop in year 2; full crops after 3–5
Season
Jun–Aug
Water
About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 120 days, Feb–Jun
Pruning
Dec–Feb
Taste
Small, tart, earthy berries; best cooked and sweetened
Nutrition
Rich in anthocyanins, the dark pigments with strong antioxidant activity

Is elderberry safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Ripe berries, cooked, with every stem and green berry removed
  • Flowers (elderflower), for tea, syrup or cordial

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Toxic: Leaves, stems, roots, unripe green berries and possibly the seeds contain compounds that release cyanide. People have been poisoned by juice pressed with leaves and stems still on. Eat only ripe berries and flowers.
  • Take care: Strip the berries off their stems and sort out every green one, then heat the juice or pulp before eating; cooking breaks down what's left of the harmful compounds.
  • Good to know: Wild Florida plants vary a lot and often crop poorly. Buy a named cultivar rather than digging one from the wild, and know exactly which plant you have.
  • Good to know: Branches break easily, and the plant suckers into a thicket unless you keep after it.

Pets: No reliable data specific to pets. The leaves, stems and green berries carry the same cyanide-forming compounds, so don't let animals chew on the plant.

How to eat and enjoy elderberry

  • Elderberry jelly, jam and pie
  • Cooked syrup
  • Elderflower tea or cordial
  • Wine

When it's ripe

Wild Florida plants bloom from February or March and ripen from about June over a long season; northern types bloom in May or June and ripen in July and August. Berries in a cluster ripen unevenly: cut the whole cluster once the berries are evenly purple-black, then strip and sort them. Pick flower clusters when every bud has opened, on a dry morning. Birds love the ripe fruit.

Storing it

Very perishable; in hot weather fruit spoils within hours. Chill (32–40°F) right after picking and use soon, or freeze, juice or dry it.

Elderberry varieties (1)

  • Adams

    A long-grown American elderberry that bears its fruit in big, dense clusters, good for baking.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing elderberries? Let Yardkin keep track.

Yardkin tells you when your elderberry needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

Request access

General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.