dwarf elder vs suffrutex

dwarf elder and suffrutex both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
dwarf elder	Yes	No	No	No
suffrutex	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, suffrutex is a hypernym of dwarf elder; that is, suffrutex is a word with a broader meaning than dwarf elder:

dwarf elder: bristly herb of eastern and central North America having black fruit and medicinal bark
suffrutex: low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base

Other hypernyms of dwarf elder include subshrub.

dwarf elder (noun)	suffrutex (noun)
dwarf herbaceous elder of Europe having pink flowers and a nauseous odor	low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base
bristly herb of eastern and central North America having black fruit and medicinal bark