Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Perennial
Origin
North America, United States, Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, North-Central United States, Central United States, Western United States, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Canada
United States, Canada
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
210
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Forest margins, Thickets
Cultivated Beds, Dappled Shade, Woodland Garden Canopy, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-74-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
9-1
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6
-
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
370.00 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
430.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
White, Green, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Red
Dark Purple
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Yellow, Green
Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Obtuse
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring
Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Divison, Seedlings, Transplanting
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Keep ground moist
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove dead leaves
Prune in summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, for fruiting plants, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Cadmium fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Cane Spot, fungus, Powdery mildew, Viruses
Mosaic viruses, Yellow Leaves
Plant Tolerance
-
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Birds, Small mammals
Allergy
-
Abdominal pain, allergic reaction, cramps, Diarrhea, Nausea, Spasms, Toxic, Toxic if not prepared properly, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for birds, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes, soil stabilisation
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cold, Fever
Anodyne, anti-inflammatory, Antirheumatic, Arthritis, Curing mumps and measles, Homeopathy
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as an insecticide, Used for its medicinal properties, Used for making soaps, Used in making blue ink
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Screening / Wind Break
Wildflower
Botanical Name
Sambucus racemosa
PHYTOLACCA americana
Common Name
Red Elderberry, Red-berried Elderberry
American Pokeweed, Inkberry, Pokeberry
In Hindi
Red Elderberry
POKEBERRY
In German
Rote Holunder
Kermesbeere
In French
Red sureau
POKEBERRY
In Spanish
La baya del saúco roja
Pokeberry
In Greek
κόκκινο Elderberry
POKEBERRY
In Portuguese
Red Elderberry
POKEBERRY
In Polish
Red Elderberry
alkiermes
In Latin
pubens
pokeberry
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Dipsacales
Caryophyllales
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Phytolaccaceae
Genus
Sambucus
Phytolacca
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
735
1
27800
👆🏻