Red Elderberry vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Red Elderberry vs Falsebox

Sambucus racemosa

Paxistima myrsinites

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Red Elderberry
Falsebox

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.

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Red Elderberry Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 5a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: none

Toxicity: toxic to humans

Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: white
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: summer
Berries: bright red berries
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
Other Names: red elder
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood