Black Elderberry vs Falsebox - TreeTime.ca

Black Elderberry vs Falsebox

Sambucus canadensis

Paxistima myrsinites

COMING SOON

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CUSTOM GROW

Black Elderberry
Falsebox

Black Elderberry is a deciduous shrub native to eastern North America. You can plant this shrub in moist areas and it will help stabilize your soil. You can also use it on rural properties anywhere you'd use a lilac.

Black Elderberries are considered to be partially self-pollinating. So while they will still produce some berries without cross-pollination, planting with another variety will increase yields. Consider planting with Ranch Elderberry or Bob Gordon Elderberry.

Warning: the seeds, stems, leaves, roots, and uncooked berries of the Black Elderberry are poisonous to humans when eaten in quantity. You should cook the berries to make them safe for human consumption.

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.

Black Elderberry Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: any
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - medium
Suckering: medium

Toxicity: leaves, stems, and uncooked berries are poisonous to humans

Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: gray brownish with rigid bumps
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: fragrant, white and showy
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: summer
Berries: black
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, PE
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: american black elderberry, american elderberry, canada elderberry, common elderberry
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood