Question: Hi. I have looked for this plant in online DBs and can't seem to find it using a search. It …
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Question
Hi. I have looked for this plant in online DBs and can't seem to find it using a search. It sprang up last summer right next to a field stone perimeter around my home and now (4/29/18) has leaves popping out and purple flower heads. It has a main shoot 6+' high and two other shoots coming from the base about 3' long and closer to the ground. Can you help me to identify it? Thanks so much. Joe in Union, Maine
Answer
These are the flower buds and expanded leaves of Sambucus racemosa (red elderberry), a native member of the Adoxaceae. It has large lenticels along the branchlets and the pitch is orange-brown.
