Sambucus
Elder · also Elderberry, American elderberry, Blue elderberry
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Sambucus species are deciduous shrubs or small trees, often multi-trunked, producing flat-topped clusters of white to cream flowers followed by dark berries. They are short-lived and grow readily in various habitats, including urban areas, where their flowers attract insects and their berries provide an important food source for birds.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1020.01%—2.6 in
- 600.01%—3.9 in
- 420.01%—2.4 in
- 190.00%21 yr13 in
- 180.01%—8.8 in
- 170.05%—0.4 in
- 30.00%—5.5 in
- 30.00%—5.5 in
- 20.00%—5.9 in
- 10.00%——
Traits
- Form
- Multi-trunk
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 10–20 ft
- Canopy spread
- 6–20 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Pollution tolerance
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- High
- Blooms
- May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Trunk diameters across every city: median 3.9 in, mean 5.0 in, 90th percentile 9.4 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition
- Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests
- Southern Great Lakes forests
- Western Great Lakes forests
- Azores temperate mixed forests
- Baltic mixed forests
- Central European mixed forests
- East European forest steppe
- Western European broadleaf forests
Temperate Conifer Forests
- Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
- Northern California coastal forests
- Northern Pacific Alaskan coastal forests
- South Central Rockies forests
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
- Kuh Rud and Eastern Iran montane woodlands
Other Sambucus in the catalogue
5 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
