How do you recognise Dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus)?

Leaf

Paul Fabre, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dwarf elder

Sambucus ebulus L.

Also known as: Danewort, Elderwort

Family: Adoxaceae

1 to 2 m tall

Banks, waste ground, waysides, rich soils

Flowering: July – August

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -20°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Unlike elder, which is a woody shrub, dwarf elder is a herbaceous plant that regrows from its rootstock every spring. Dwarf elder is a non-woody herbaceous plant that dies back every winter, with a foul smell and toxic fruits borne in upright clusters, whereas elder is a perennial shrub with fruits that are edible once cooked, borne in drooping umbels.

🍃 Leaves

Large, pinnate compound, bright green, strong smell when crushed

🌸 Flowers

Large flat corymbs of small white flowers with a pinkish centre

🍎 Fruits

Clusters of toxic black berries

🪵 Bark

Upright herbaceous stems, dying back in winter unlike a true shrub

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, western Asia, North Africa; common in waste ground and wayside verges in France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Large white umbels very rich in nectar, attractive to many insects in summer.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Little grown as an ornamental, a perennial herbaceous plant with a creeping rhizome, to be told apart from elder, which is a shrub.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Toxic, especially the berries, roots and raw leaves (cyanogenic glycosides); causes severe digestive upset if eaten.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Dwarf elder

Sambucus ebulus

Elder

Sambucus nigra

Dwarf elder is a non-woody herbaceous plant that dies back every winter, with a foul smell and toxic fruits borne in upright clusters, whereas elder is a perennial shrub with fruits that are edible once cooked, borne in drooping umbels.

🌿 Other Adoxaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.