Sambucus mexicana

Identification

Description

(Sambucus coerulea var. arizonica, Sambucus coerulea var. mexicana, Sambucus caeulea var. mexicana, Sambucus coriacea, Sambucus orbiculata, Sambucus velutina and you wonder why we're confused) Mexican elderberry or Tapiro, is a deciduous shrub to tree with butter yellow flowers in Apr.-Aug.. This elderberry is native to canyons, valleys west of Sierra Nevada form Oregon to Baja and east to West Texas. It likes full sun to part shade, garden water. It will take extreme drought after it gets its roots out. There is a twisted old specimen south of Shandon growing out in full sun, the only plant left by cattle for miles in a 7"rainfall area. (It's surviving because its trunk twisted and the cattle rubbed all the bark off but didn't girdle it because of the twisting.) Its berries are bluish-black, excellent in jelly, fair in pie. Pruning keeps the tree attractive. Native on both nursery sites. We are right at the edge of its cold tolerance limit. It grows here out of the cold air sink. We lost 50% of the gallons on hand when the 1990 freeze hit. It should be hardy to -5 to -10. It likes our summers here and Sambucus caerula likes our fall and spring.(They both hate our winter.) Look carefully as you pass an Elderberry you may see a hummingbird, butterfly, chipmunk, Jay, Thrasher, or other bird.

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