Plant Database
Black Lace Black Elder
Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’
Black Lace Elderberry is a dramatic, award-winning cultivar of European elder, celebrated for its intensely dark, finely cut foliage and showy pink flower clusters. This deciduous shrub combines the ornamental appeal of a Japanese maple with the robust, fast-growing nature of elderberry . Its deeply dissected, lacy leaves emerge in deep burgundy and mature to a near-black purple, creating a stunning backdrop for the large, flat-topped clusters of lemon-scented, pink-tinged flowers in late spring to early summer . The flowers are followed by heavy clusters of glossy, red-black berries in late summer and fall, which attract birds and can be harvested for culinary uses. With its compact, rounded form and exceptional foliage color, it is a superb choice for adding dark, architectural contrast to borders, foundation plantings, and containers.