Sambucus canadensis
Copyright, Bill Hoch
Common Elderberry is a
large shrub
which can grow up to 16 feet tall. It usually grows in wet
areas, such as marshes,
or forest edges. The leaves of elderberry
have 5 to 11 leaflets
(smaller mini-leaves) on a stem. Common Elderberry flowers
are in clusters.
Each flower in the cluster is tiny and white. They bloom in
May and June. Flower clusters look a lot like the wildflower
known as Queen Anne's Lace. Virginia Tech Trees of Alabama and the
Southeast, Photographer: Mike Hogan Kenneth J.Sytsma,
Wisconsin State Herbarium The fruits of Common
Elderberry are a kind of berry called a drupe.
The drupes are small and black (or dark purple). Many birds
eat them, including: Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird,
Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Blue Jay, Eastern Kingbird, European Starling, Eastern
Phoebe, American Robin, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing,
woodpeckers, and Tufted Titmouse. White-footed Mice also eat
them. Eastern Cottontails and
Woodchucks eat the bark.
White-tailed Deer it leaves
and twigs. This plant depends on
birds to spread its seeds. After they eat the fruit, they
poop the seeds out in a new place. Merel R. Black, Wisconsin
State Herbarium
GardenWeek