How do you recognise Red elder (Sambucus racemosa)?

Leaf

Mathieu Menand, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Red elder

Sambucus racemosa L.

Also known as: Red-berried elder

Family: Adoxaceae

2 to 4 m tall

Hedges, woodland edges, gardens, moist mountain soils

Flowering: April – May

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -30°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Unlike elder, its fruit clusters are bright red and upright, not black and drooping. 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.

🍃 Leaves

Deciduous, pinnate compound, bright green

🌸 Flowers

Small cream-white flowers in upright conical panicles

🍎 Fruits

Clusters of small bright red berries when ripe (toxic raw)

🪵 Bark

Light brown bark, white pith inside the twigs

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, mainly in the mountains; found in clearings and felled areas in mountain forests in France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Early spring flowering in small clusters, visited by bees and various insects.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted at a woodland edge or in a naturalistic border, valued for its decorative red fruits in summer.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Raw berries, bark and leaves toxic if eaten (digestive upset); cooked berries are traditionally eaten.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Red elder

Sambucus racemosa

Elder

Sambucus nigra

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.