Species PlantsRed Elderberry

Red Elderberry

Sambucus racemosa

CommonPlant
Illustration of Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Safety note: Unripe berries are toxic; even ripe red berries may cause digestive distress in humans.

Red Elderberry is a shrub of moist, cool forests and mountain ravines that produces large, pyramidal clusters of bright red berries in summer, distinctive from the flat-topped clusters of American elderberry. It is found across boreal and mountain forests from coast to coast. Many birds consume the berries despite their toxicity to humans.

Habitat
Moist cool forests, mountain ravines, and forest edges across northern North America
Diet
Red berries eaten by many bird species including thrushes, jays, and tanagers
How common
Common

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