Scientific name: Sambucus nigra subsp.cerulea (N)

Common name:  blue elderberry

Family name: Adoxaceae

Useful cultivars and selections:

USDA hardiness zone: 4

Mature height and spread: 2-3m tall and wide

Form: Oval, spreading

Water use: moderate

Soil requirements: humus, well-drained

Leaf arrangement: Compound. Opposite.

Fall colour: insignificant

Flower/cone/fruit description: Perfect showy white flower clusters. Blue berry cluster

Limitations: Flowers smell back; place at back of border

Suitable uses: Fruit edible; other parts cause irritation. Adaptable. Attractive to pollinators. Showy.

Quick ID description: Dec. Shrub. Pinnately compound (5 leaflets). Opposite. Lanceolate. Serrate. Lenticels. Blue berry clusters. Thick brown smooth stem (very hard)