red elderberry Caprifoliaceae Sambucus racemosa

Leaf:Opposite, pinnately compound, 6 to 12 inches long, with 5 to 7 lanceolate leaflets, apex pointed and margins serrate, dark green and smooth above and paler below.
Flower:Perfect, tiny white flowers borne in large, upright, dome-shaped clusters; have a strong odor; appearing in late spring to early summer.
Fruit:Small (1/16 to 1/8 inch), usually red, berry-like fruits, borne in upright, dome-shaped clusters; unpalatable when raw (may be TOXIC to some) but edible when cooked.
Twig:Stout, soft, and with a large spongy pith, opposite buds and leaves. New sprouts may grow 10 to 12 feet in a single year.
Bark:Gray to dark reddish brown and covered with raised lenticels.
Form:Grows as an upright large shrub or small tree, commonly 8 to 20 feet tall.

leaf flower fruit twig bark form map

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