Index / Search / Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa
§1 Plant
Sambucus racemosa L. var. racemosa
vernacular red elderberry — variety · Caprifoliaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Tree
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Caprifoliaceae Juss.
- Genus
- Sambucus
§2a
Native status, by region
- AK Alaska Native
- CAN Canada Native
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
§2b
County-level range
· 491 counties across 28 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Low
- Shade
- Medium
- Moisture use
- High
- Fire
- High
- Salinity
- None
- Anaerobic
- Low
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- Low
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -33 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 200 min.
- Precipitation
- 24–60 in/yr
- pH range
- 5.2–7.2
- Root depth
- 24 in min.
- Fertility need
- High
- Soil texture
- medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Multiple Stem
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 18 ft
- Height @ 20 y
- 18 ft
- Foliage texture
- Medium
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Moderate
- Porosity (winter)
- Moderate
- Flower colour
- White
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Mid Summer
- Seed abundance
- High
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Fall
- Spread rate
- Slow
- Stratify
- Yes
- Seeds / lb
- 284,500
- Propagation
- seed, bare root, container
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Contracting Only
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Medium
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- Yes
- Protein potential
- Low
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 491 counties across 28 states/territories.
Alaska view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Arizona view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Georgia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 7 N ▾
Indiana view state ↗ 9 N ▾
Iowa view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Kentucky view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Maine view state ↗ 15 N ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 8 N ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 73 N ▾
- Alcona 26001
- Alger 26003
- Allegan 26005
- Alpena 26007
- Antrim 26009
- Arenac 26011
- Baraga 26013
- Barry 26015
- Benzie 26019
- Berrien 26021
- Branch 26023
- Calhoun 26025
- Cass 26027
- Charlevoix 26029
- Cheboygan 26031
- Chippewa 26033
- Clare 26035
- Crawford 26039
- Delta 26041
- Dickinson 26043
- Eaton 26045
- Emmet 26047
- Genesee 26049
- Gogebic 26053
- Grand Traverse 26055
- Gratiot 26057
- Hillsdale 26059
- Houghton 26061
- Huron 26063
- Ingham 26065
- Ionia 26067
- Iosco 26069
- Iron 26071
- Isabella 26073
- Jackson 26075
- Kalamazoo 26077
- Kalkaska 26079
- Kent 26081
- Keweenaw 26083
- Lapeer 26087
- Leelanau 26089
- Livingston 26093
- Mackinac 26097
- Macomb 26099
- Marquette 26103
- Mason 26105
- Menominee 26109
- Midland 26111
- Missaukee 26113
- Monroe 26115
- Montcalm 26117
- Montmorency 26119
- Muskegon 26121
- Newaygo 26123
- Oakland 26125
- Ogemaw 26129
- Ontonagon 26131
- Osceola 26133
- Oscoda 26135
- Otsego 26137
- Ottawa 26139
- Presque Isle 26141
- Roscommon 26143
- Saginaw 26145
- Sanilac 26151
- Schoolcraft 26153
- St. Clair 26147
- St. Joseph 26149
- Tuscola 26157
- Van Buren 26159
- Washtenaw 26161
- Wayne 26163
- Wexford 26165
Minnesota view state ↗ 45 N ▾
- Aitkin 27001
- Anoka 27003
- Becker 27005
- Beltrami 27007
- Blue Earth 27013
- Carlton 27017
- Cass 27021
- Chippewa 27023
- Chisago 27025
- Clearwater 27029
- Cook 27031
- Dakota 27037
- Douglas 27041
- Fillmore 27045
- Freeborn 27047
- Goodhue 27049
- Hennepin 27053
- Houston 27055
- Itasca 27061
- Kanabec 27065
- Kandiyohi 27067
- Koochiching 27071
- Lake 27075
- Lake of the Woods 27077
- Le Sueur 27079
- Martin 27091
- Mille Lacs 27095
- Morrison 27097
- Olmsted 27109
- Otter Tail 27111
- Pine 27115
- Polk 27119
- Pope 27121
- Ramsey 27123
- Rice 27131
- Sherburne 27141
- Sibley 27143
- St. Louis 27137
- Stearns 27145
- Stevens 27149
- Wabasha 27157
- Waseca 27161
- Washington 27163
- Winona 27169
- Wright 27171
Missouri view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Montana view state ↗ 8 N ▾
New Hampshire view state ↗ 10 N ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 10 N ▾
New Mexico view state ↗ 16 N ▾
New York view state ↗ 42 N ▾
- Albany 36001
- Allegany 36003
- Cattaraugus 36009
- Chautauqua 36013
- Chemung 36015
- Chenango 36017
- Clinton 36019
- Columbia 36021
- Delaware 36025
- Dutchess 36027
- Erie 36029
- Essex 36031
- Franklin 36033
- Genesee 36037
- Greene 36039
- Hamilton 36041
- Herkimer 36043
- Jefferson 36045
- Lewis 36049
- Livingston 36051
- Madison 36053
- Niagara 36063
- Oneida 36065
- Onondaga 36067
- Ontario 36069
- Orange 36071
- Oswego 36075
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Rensselaer 36083
- Rockland 36087
- Saratoga 36091
- Schenectady 36093
- St. Lawrence 36089
- Tioga 36107
- Tompkins 36109
- Ulster 36111
- Warren 36113
- Washington 36115
- Wayne 36117
- Westchester 36119
- Wyoming 36121
North Carolina view state ↗ 13 N ▾
North Dakota view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Ohio view state ↗ 28 N ▾
- Ashland 39005
- Ashtabula 39007
- Carroll 39019
- Columbiana 39029
- Cuyahoga 39035
- Erie 39043
- Geauga 39055
- Greene 39057
- Hancock 39063
- Hocking 39073
- Holmes 39075
- Huron 39077
- Jefferson 39081
- Knox 39083
- Lake 39085
- Lorain 39093
- Mahoning 39099
- Medina 39103
- Muskingum 39119
- Portage 39133
- Richland 39139
- Stark 39151
- Summit 39153
- Trumbull 39155
- Tuscarawas 39157
- Wayne 39169
- Williams 39171
- Wood 39173
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 58 N ▾
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bradford 42015
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clarion 42031
- Clearfield 42033
- Clinton 42035
- Columbia 42037
- Crawford 42039
- Elk 42047
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Forest 42053
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Huntingdon 42061
- Indiana 42063
- Jefferson 42065
- Juniata 42067
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lebanon 42075
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- Lycoming 42081
- McKean 42083
- Mercer 42085
- Mifflin 42087
- Monroe 42089
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Pike 42103
- Potter 42105
- Schuylkill 42107
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Sullivan 42113
- Susquehanna 42115
- Tioga 42117
- Union 42119
- Venango 42121
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- Westmoreland 42129
- Wyoming 42131
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 1 N ▾
South Dakota view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Tennessee view state ↗ 11 N ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 30 N ▾
- Albemarle 51003
- Alleghany 51005
- Amherst 51009
- Augusta 51015
- Bath 51017
- Bedford 51019
- Bland 51021
- Botetourt 51023
- Craig 51045
- Dickenson 51051
- Fairfax 51059
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Grayson 51077
- Greene 51079
- Highland 51091
- Loudoun 51107
- Madison 51113
- Nelson 51125
- Page 51139
- Rappahannock 51157
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Smyth 51173
- Tazewell 51185
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Wise 51195
West Virginia view state ↗ 21 N ▾
- Barbour 54001
- Fayette 54019
- Grant 54023
- Greenbrier 54025
- Hampshire 54027
- Hancock 54029
- Hardy 54031
- Jefferson 54037
- Mercer 54055
- Mineral 54057
- Monongalia 54061
- Nicholas 54067
- Pendleton 54071
- Pocahontas 54075
- Preston 54077
- Raleigh 54081
- Randolph 54083
- Summers 54089
- Tucker 54093
- Upshur 54097
- Webster 54101
Wisconsin view state ↗ 55 N ▾
- Adams 55001
- Barron 55005
- Bayfield 55007
- Brown 55009
- Calumet 55015
- Chippewa 55017
- Clark 55019
- Dane 55025
- Dodge 55027
- Door 55029
- Douglas 55031
- Dunn 55033
- Florence 55037
- Fond du Lac 55039
- Forest 55041
- Grant 55043
- Iowa 55049
- Iron 55051
- Jackson 55053
- Kewaunee 55061
- La Crosse 55063
- Lafayette 55065
- Langlade 55067
- Lincoln 55069
- Manitowoc 55071
- Marathon 55073
- Marinette 55075
- Marquette 55077
- Menominee 55078
- Milwaukee 55079
- Monroe 55081
- Oconto 55083
- Oneida 55085
- Outagamie 55087
- Ozaukee 55089
- Pepin 55091
- Pierce 55093
- Polk 55095
- Portage 55097
- Price 55099
- Racine 55101
- Rusk 55107
- Sauk 55111
- Sawyer 55113
- Shawano 55115
- Sheboygan 55117
- St. Croix 55109
- Taylor 55119
- Trempealeau 55121
- Vernon 55123
- Vilas 55125
- Washburn 55129
- Waupaca 55135
- Winnebago 55139
- Wood 55141
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/SARAR3 ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/7258992 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T09:28:40Z