TEXAS WILDLIFE
PLANT PROFILE
American Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) Article and photos by BRADLEY KUBECKA
Elderberry (blooming here) is common in areas with moist soil.
Elderberry flowers consist of five petals and five stamens occurring in clusters called corymbs.
34 T E X A S W I L D L I F E
DECEMBER 2020
A
s I sit here writing the plant profile, I’m enjoying a special craft beer—a small batch, Berliner Weiss brewed with the fruit of American elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis). My palate assures me that I made a good selection, but I’m not the only one that enjoys the virtues of elderberry. American elderberry, more-simply referred to as elderberry or elderflower, is a perennial woody species that is also appreciated in the natural world. American Elderberry is found in all regions of Texas except the Trans-Pecos. It grows in moist soils with partial to full sun. As such, elderberry is typically found growing along ditches or creeks. Elderberry spreads by seed, underground rhizomes and stolons, a creeping horizontal plant stem or runner that takes root at points along its length to form new plants. The rhizomes and stolons can help hold soils along streambanks where elderberry is found. While widely distributed, elderberry is more common as you travel east in the state. American elderberry can be identified using multiple field characteristics. Elderberry leaves are directly across from each other on the stem and are odd-pinnately compound. Oddpinnately compound leaves have an odd number of leaflets, with a single leaflet at the leaf’s terminal end.
