How do you recognise Elder (Sambucus nigra)?

Leaf

Kieran Roy Powell, Wikimedia · CC BY 4.0

Elder

Sambucus nigra L.

Also known as: Common elder, Elderberry, Black elder

Family: Adoxaceae

2 to 6 m tall

Hedges, waste ground, rubble, nitrogen-rich soils

Flowering: May – June

Full sun

Part shade

Very hardy, to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Large umbels of white flowers in May, then drooping clusters of black berries in summer. 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

Compound, 5 to 7 toothed leaflets, distinctive smell when crushed

🌸 Flowers

Large flat cream-white corymbs, very fragrant

🍎 Fruits

Small glossy black berries in drooping clusters

🪵 Bark

Grey, corky, deeply fissured

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, North Africa, western Asia; very common in hedges and waste ground throughout France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Abundant flowering in large white corymbs, very rich in nectar, visited by many pollinating insects.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted in an informal country hedge; flowers and fruits harvested for syrups and jams after cooking.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Raw berries, bark, leaves and seeds toxic if eaten (digestive upset); the flowers and cooked berries are traditionally eaten as syrup and jam.

🌱 Known cultivars

'Black Lace'

The cultivar 'Black Lace' has finely cut, purple-black foliage almost all year, combined with pale pink to cream flowers, in strong contrast with the green foliage and white flowers of the wild species. Marketed under the brand Black Lace® (cultivar 'Eva'), it has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Elder

Sambucus nigra

Dwarf elder

Sambucus ebulus

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.

Elder

Sambucus nigra

Red elder

Sambucus racemosa

Elder has black fruits in large drooping umbels and broader leaflets, whereas red elder has red fruits in upright pyramidal clusters and narrower, more finely toothed leaflets.

🌿 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.