Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa

Red elderberry, Red Elderberry

Family: Viburnaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Red elderberry is a California native shrub found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, northern central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and Transverse Ranges in moist woodland habitats at elevations to 3,300 meters. Flowering from May to July, this shrub produces creamy white flowers in broad, flat-topped clusters 6 to 12 centimeters in diameter. Growing with multiple stems 1 to 3 meters tall, it forms an open, spreading growth habit with arching branches. Its compound leaves have multiple leaflets that are green and smooth or slightly hairy, particularly along the leaf veins. The fruit develops as bright red berries, creating striking color contrast against the plant's green foliage.

Habitat: Moist places

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 3300 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SN, n CCo, SnFrB, SnBr

California counties: Mariposa, Tulare, San Mateo, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Inyo, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Tehama, Alameda, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Del Norte, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, Trinity, Siskiyou, San Francisco, Modoc, Tuolumne, Sierra, Shasta, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.