Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

Adoxaceae

A fast native shrub for the famous immune syrup. Cook the ripe berries — and never eat them raw.

EdiblePerennialTough as a nativeMedicinalPollinator

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek

Sun

Full sun to part shade

Water

Moderate to high

Soil

Rich, moist

pH

5.5–6.5

Hardiness

Hardy native shrub

Height

6–12 ft

Spacing

6–8 ft

Days to harvest

2–3 yr to bear

What it is

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is in the Adoxaceae family. A fast native shrub for the famous immune syrup. Cook the ripe berries — and never eat them raw.

How to grow it

It wants full sun to part shade, water it moderate to high, and give it rich, moist soil. Target a soil pH around 5.5–6.5. Space plants about 6–8 ft apart. Expect roughly 2–3 yr to bear. Hardy native shrub.

How it's used

Elderberry is used: cooked berries (syrup); flowers.

🔎 How to identify it

Compound leaves, 5–9 leaflets
Flat white flower clusters
Dark purple berry clusters

Edibility

PartsRipe cooked berries; flowers

UsesCooked berries (syrup); flowers

CautionRaw berries, leaves, stems, and roots are toxic — always cook the berries.

🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.