The species is a well-established archaeophyte in much of the UK,[4] and is also reportedly naturalized in parts of North America (New York, New Jersey and Québec).

The stems terminate in a corymb 10–15 cm diameter with numerous white (occasionally pink) flat-topped hermaphrodite flowers.

In view of its benefits as a widely applicable phytomedicine, it is still used in folk medicine of different parts of the world.

In addition to its nutritional values, dwarf elder contains different phytochemicals among which flavonoids and lectins are responsible for most of its therapeutic effects.

Dwarf elder has been used for different ailments including: joint pains, cold, wounds, and infections.