I live in Beaver Co, PA near the Ohio River. I've found what I thought were elderberries however I'm not sure. The trees are 10-15 feet tall with a single trunk. The lower 2-3 feet have thorns. They are growing near a retention pond. The berries are purple and in clusters, stems are purple too. Please see attached pictures. Thanks for the help.
Welcome msw708. I cannot see the leaves clearly in your pics. Compare to Aralia spinosa. Common name Devils walking stick. http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=ar...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1239&bih=528 http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/arsp.html The leaves are huge made of many leaflets. See... http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...age=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=111&ty=56