This well known wild edible is reasonably hardy and naturalizes well! An excellent plant for wildlife support, it best grown in an area where it can be allowed to form a colony. Supports a wide variety of insects and berries are eaten by many animals, so makes an excellent addition to restoration plantings!

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic

Soil Type: Loam

Height: 4’-6’

Width: 6’-8’

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: Apr-May

Fruit: Berries mature in summer and are black when ripe.

Fall Color: -

Root Type: Taproot

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract many bees, and occasionally small butterflies and skippers. Hosts a wide variety of insects including longhorn beetles, leaf beetles, leaf hoppers, treehoppers, katydids, walking sticks, and moths such as owlet and Tortrix moths, and the striped hairstreak butterfly. Berries are attractive to a wide variety of animals including woodpeckers, gamebirds, dozens of species of songbirds, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks. Commonly browsed by deer and rabbits.

Notes: Berries are edible and commonly eaten. Canes do not flower in their first year, and often root where they touch the ground. Lack of sun or water may prevent fruit set.