Red Elderberry vs Thimbleberry - TreeTime.ca

Red Elderberry vs Thimbleberry

Sambucus racemosa

Rubus parviflorus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Red Elderberry
Thimbleberry

Red Elderberry is an attractive, medium-sized deciduous shrub.

It produces clusters of white flowers in the spring and bright red berry-like drupes, which provide beautiful contrast against its coarse, textured green foliage.

Red Elder can be pruned as a small single or multi-stemmed tree.

Thimbleberry is an ornamental shrub with large, green maple-like-leaves. Flowers are attractive, fragrant, and turn into red-raspberry-like berries. The berries are good for jams, cakes, breads, muffins etc. If you remove the berry, the core resembles a thimble, giving this shrub its namesake.

Red Elderberry Quick Facts

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: none

Toxicity: toxic to humans

Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: white
Flowers: white, showy
Berries: bright red berries
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, PE
Native to: AB, BC, ON
Other Names: red elder
Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry