Sambucus racemosa
Viburnaceae
Red Elderberry
Shrub or small tree with smooth, dark reddish brown bark. Leaves deciduous, with 5–7 leaflets. Leaflets, often with asymmetric base, are 2–6 in. long, lance-shaped with pointed tip, with small sharp teeth, dark green, hairless on top, lighter on underside with small hairs. Flowers small, dense in a broad oval cyme, 5 cream petals. Berries red without white wax. Grows in moist places below alpine. Var. racemosa differs, with stiff hairs on underside of leaf especially along veins; common on moist, open, logged areas and woods near coast to mid-elevations. Var. melanocarpa is similar but has black fruit and is found more often east of Cascades.
- Rarity: Locally Common
- Flowering Time: Early Summer
- Flower Form: Petals 5, Completely Free, Regular Shape, Ovary Su
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 6–18 feet
- Habitat: Coastal, West-side Forest
- Found In: Mt. Rainier NP, N Cascades NP, Olympic NP, West Gorge
- Native: Yes
