American Black Elderberry Tree Seeds | Common Elderberry | (Sambucus canadensis)

Ancient medicine. Modern superfood. Native to your backyard.

Sambucus canadensis, the American Black Elderberry, has been used for thousands of years and is experiencing a powerful resurgence today. It produces heavy clusters of deep purple-black berries prized for syrups, tinctures, and wine. Fast-growing and highly adaptable, it thrives in wet soils, full sun, or partial shade, and can begin producing fruit within two years. As a native shrub, it also supports an exceptional range of wildlife, making it as valuable ecologically as it is nutritionally.

• Produces abundant dark berries ideal for syrup, wine, and herbal use
• Can begin fruiting within two years
• Native and highly adaptable across eastern North America
• Flowers attract dozens of native pollinators
• Berries support over 50 species of birds

Things You Probably Didn’t Know

It’s one of humanity’s oldest medicines.
Elderberry has been used since prehistoric times. Hippocrates referred to it as his “medicine chest,” and Indigenous communities used nearly every part of the plant for food and healing.

It produces serious volume.
A single mature shrub can yield 12 to 15 pounds of berries per season, making it one of the most productive edible native plants you can grow.

The stems are naturally hollow.
Elderberry stems have been used for centuries to make flutes, blowguns, and syrup spouts. Their hollow structure made them uniquely useful across cultures.

You get two harvests from one plant.
Elderflowers are harvested early for cordials, teas, and culinary uses, while the berries that follow later in the season provide a second, completely different yield.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Sambucus canadensis
• Stratification: Required; 60–90 days cold moist stratification
• USDA Zones: 3–9
• Soil: Adaptable; prefers moist, fertile soil
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Height: 5–12 feet
• Spread: 5–10 feet (spreads by root suckers)
• Growth Rate: Fast (up to 4–6 ft/year once established)

Plant it near water, along a fence line, or anywhere you want a plant that produces heavily, supports wildlife, and pays you back season after season.