Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' (American black elderberry)

'Black Lace' is an interesting cultivar of elder that is noted for its stunning, deeply cut dark purple foliage, its lemon-scented, pink flowers, and dark blackish-red elderberries (if a compatible pollinator is planted nearby). It is a variety of European elder that was developed in England. Give it part shade to sun and moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. Typically matures at 6–8' tall. Best used in informal areas or backgrounds where it can naturalize. Can spread somewhat aggressively. Though it is a tough and adaptable, award-winning plant, it has some susceptiblity to canker, powdery mildew, leaf spot, borers, spider mites, and aphids. May be pruned to the ground each year and grown like a perennial. The berries are edible with processing, but the plant contains cyanide-inducing glycosides, primarily in leaves, roots, seeds and stems, making it moderately toxic to humans if ingested. Deer resistant. 

This subspecies of black elder (Sambucus nigra ssp. nigra) is native to Europe. The fruits are an important food source for many birds, includng robins, bluebirds, and cedar waxwings, as well as mammals like deer, bears, and elk. Numerous insects, including pollinators such as hoverflies, are attracted to the flowers. The dense foliage provides excellent cover and nesting for birds and various small animals. Roots help to stabilize streambanks and other eroding areas.