Plants That Look Like Elderberry

If you’re foraging or planning your garden, knowing plants that look like elderberry is crucial for safety and success. Mistaking a look-alike for the real thing can lead to unpleasant consequences, so let’s clear up the confusion.

Several common plants share a resemblance with elderberry (Sambucus species), primarily through their compound leaves and clustered berries. The most important look-alikes are toxic, making accurate identification a serious matter. We’ll cover the key differences to look for.

Why Correct Identification Matters

Elderberries themselves require cooking to be edible, as raw berries can cause nausea. However, some imposters are highly poisonous. Consuming them by mistake can make you very ill. Always be 100% certain before you harvest or taste any wild plant.

Key Features of Real Elderberry

First, let’s establish what true elderberry looks like. This gives you a baseline for comparison.

Growth Habit: Elderberry is a woody shrub or small tree, often forming thickets.
Leaves: It has pinnately compound leaves with 5-9 leaflets (usually 7). The leaflets are opposite, lance-shaped, with serrated edges.
Bark: Young stems are green and soft with lenticels (pores). Older bark becomes gray and furrowed.
Flowers: In late spring, it produces large, flat-topped clusters of tiny, creamy-white, fragrant flowers.
Berries: The fruit appears in late summer as drooping, umbrella-shaped clusters of small, dark purple-black berries. Each berry has a small, star-shaped calyx at its end.

Common Elderberry Look-Alikes

Here are the plants most often confused with elderberry, listed from most concerning to least.

1. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

Pokeweed is a toxic perennial often found in disturbed soils. Its berries are the main point of confusion.

How it’s similar: It has clusters of dark berries. The plant can get large and shrub-like.
Key differences: Pokeweed berries grow on long, upright, pinkish-red stalks (racemes), not drooping umbrels. The berries are shiny and arranged in a long, string-like cluster. Its leaves are simple, large, and entire, not compound.
Risk: All parts, especially the roots and mature stems, are poisonous.

2. Water Hemlock (Cicuta species)

This is one of the most toxic plants in North America. Confusion can happen with young plants or when not in flower.

How it’s similar: The leaves are compound and can look somewhat like elderberry foliage from a distance.
Key differences: Water hemlock has leaves that are much more finely divided, almost fern-like. It grows in very wet areas like ditches and stream banks. When crushed, its stems and roots often smell like parsnips or celery. It has white flowers in umbrella clusters, but these are more rounded than elderberry’s flat clusters.
Risk: Extremely high. Ingestion can be fatal.

3. Devil’s Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa)

This small tree has dramatic, large compound leaves.

How it’s similar: Its large, compound leaves can be mistaken for elderberry from a quick glance.
Key differences: The leaf stems (petioles) and the main trunk are covered in sharp, spiny thorns. Its flower clusters are huge, often over a foot long, and it’s berries are purplish-black but in much larger, spreading clusters. The overall form is more treelike.
Risk: Not considered highly toxic, but the thorns are a hazard and the berries are not edible.

4. Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

This is a harmless look-alike often used in landscaping. It’s berries are actually edible, though very tart.

How it’s similar: It’s a shrub with simple, dark berries that grow in clusters.
Key differences: Chokeberry has simple, finely-toothed leaves, not compound leaves. The berries have a distinctive small crown on the end (persistent calyx) but cluster in a different way. The fall foliage is a brilliant red.

A Step-by-Step Identification Checklist

Use this list in the field to be sure of your find.

Check the leaves. Are they truly compound with 5-9 opposite leaflets? If leaves are simple or alternately arranged, it’s not elderberry.
Look at the bark and stems. Are young stems green with lenticels? Are there any thorns or spines? Elderberry has no thorns.
Examine the berry cluster shape. Is it a flat or drooping umbrella? Or is it an upright, elongated raceme? Elderberry’s clusters droop.
Note the growing location. Is it in a swamp (water hemlock) or a dry field? Elderberry prefers moist, sunny edges but is adaptable.
When in doubt, leave it out. Never eat a plant you cannot identify with absolute certainty.

Garden Plants With Similar Foliage

Some ornamental plants are chosen specifically for their elderberry-like leaves. These are generally safe but not for foraging.

Japanese Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa): A cousin with similar leaves but red berries. Ornamental varieties like ‘Sutherland Gold’ have beautiful cut-leaf foliage.
Ash Trees (Fraxinus): Young ash seedlings have compound leaves but they are opposite and have a different bud and growth form.
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra): Its compound leaves can be confused from a distance, but the leaflets are more numerous and the tree is much larger.

What to Do If You Suspect Misidentification

If you or someone else may have eaten a toxic look-alike, act quickly.

Contact Poison Control immediately (1-800-222-1222 in the US).
Try to save a sample of the plant for identification.
Note how much was consumed and when.
Do not induce vomiting unless instructed by a professional.

Safe Foraging and Gardening Tips

To enjoy elderberries without risk, follow these practices.

Use a good guidebook. Carry a regional field guide with clear photos.
Learn from an expert. Join a local foraging walk or gardening group.
Plant your own. The safest way is to buy Sambucus nigra or S. canadensis plants from a reputable nursery. You’ll then know exactly what you have.
Check multiple features. Never rely on berry color alone for identification.

FAQ: Plants Similar to Elderberry

What plant is commonly mistaken for elderberry?

Pokeweed is the most common, due to its dark berry clusters. Water hemlock is the most dangerous mistake due to its high toxicity.

Are there any edible plants that resemble elderberry?

Black chokeberry (Aronia) has edible berries, but the plant looks different up close. Other edible Sambucus species, like the European red elder, need proper preparation too.

How can you tell the difference between elderberry and pokeberry?

Look at the berry clusters and leaves. Pokeberries grow on pink-red stalks in elongated strings, and the plant has simple leaves. Elderberries droop in umbrella clusters and the plant has compound leaves.

Is there a poisonous plant that looks like elderberry?

Yes, several. Water hemlock and pokeweed are both poisonous and share some similarities. Always check the specific features we discussed.

Can I plant something that looks like elderberry but is safer?

Consider planting the ornamental black lace elderberry or a chokeberry shrub. They provide similar visual appeal without the foraging risks if you have children or pets.

Identifying plants that look like elderberry gets easier with practice. By focusing on the combination of leaf structure, stem details, and flower/berry cluster shape, you can confidently tell them apart. Remember, taking that extra moment to check could prevent a serious mistake, allowing you to safely enjoy the real benefits of elderberry in your garden or kitchen.