SAMBUCUS nigra. Elderberry. Europe, Asia. The elderberries are a group of shrubs and small trees in the honeysuckle family, never well known in California, though we have some beautiful native species. S. nigra grows to about 20’ high if unrestrained, but can be shaped into a smaller fountain or parasol. The stems are thick, forming attractive bark as they age. The leaves are up to 8” long, paired along the stems and divided feather-like into several large leaflets. Their color is bright to deep green in the typical form. Broad, yarrow-like clusters of creamy yellow flowers are borne at the shoot tips in summer, followed by small red berries which turn nearly black as they mature. ‘Aurea’ has brilliant yellow new leaves, which shift to lime-green in color as they age. ‘Purpurea’ has uniformly brownish purple leaves. Even the flowers are tinged with purple. ‘Variegata’ (perhaps more properly ‘Aureomarginata’) has leaves attractively margined in pale yellow. ‘Laciniata’ has deeply cut leaflets, giving a more feathery impression. ‘Madonna’ is a dwarf, slow-growing selection with smallish leaves, irregularly margined in pale yellow. Sun or light shade, most soils, moderate watering. Hardy to 0^oF or less.