Velvet elder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Velvet elder |
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| Sambucus velutina | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Dipsacales |
| Family: | Adoxaceae |
| Genus: | Sambucus |
| Species: |
S. velutina
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| Binomial name | |
| Sambucus velutina Durand & Hilg.
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The velvet elder (scientific name: Sambucus velutina) is a large, deciduous shrub. This means it's a woody plant that loses its leaves every year. It grows naturally only in the Southwestern United States. You can mostly find it in Central California and Western Nevada.
What the Velvet Elder Looks Like
The velvet elder has green leaves that feel hairy. Its leaves are also pinnate, which means they look like a feather with smaller leaflets growing on both sides of a main stem. Each leaf usually has 5 to 9 of these smaller leaflets. They can be from 5 to 30 centimeters (about 2 to 12 inches) long.
This plant can grow quite tall, reaching 3 to 8 meters (about 10 to 26 feet) high. Its main stem can be thick, around 30 to 60 centimeters (about 12 to 24 inches) across. The velvet elder also produces berries that are black or deep blue.
Other Elder Plants
There are many types of elder plants that are closely related to the velvet elder. While the velvet elder lives only in the Southwestern U.S., other similar elder species grow in different parts of North America.
Some examples of these related plants include:
- Sambucus canadensis, also known as the American elder.
- Sambucus cerulea, which is called the blue elderberry.
- Sambucus simpsonii, known as the Florida elder.
 | Kyle Baker |
 | Joseph Yoakum |
 | Laura Wheeler Waring |
 | Henry Ossawa Tanner |
