Mexican Elderberry

 

Imagine yourself walking along the grassy hillside of an outcrop feeling the warm earth underfoot with each step. You feel the sea breeze push gently against your back and can see far in all directions. You can feel the sun bake against your shoulders as you look for shade. Eventually you stop near a stream under the thin branches of a tree with leaves the color of a ripe granny smith apple. You lean against one of its several snaking trunks and look up at the branches which are outstretched and contain a scattering of little white flower bunches. Despite the ground being dry the tree seems to be holding up well. You are in the Channel Islands National Park and the endangered tree you’ve encountered is commonly known as the Mexican Elderberry. Its scientific name is Sambucus nigra (Stevens and Nesom, 2016).

This unique tree is a particularly resilient one.  Its tough bark helps to prevent against marring from insects and small animals and it can grow in soil with a moderate pH range. It holds up in arid climates and can survive on little water once its growth is well advanced; however, it flowers and produces berries after the rainy season. The Mexican Elderberry matures quickly but generally does not reach 30 feet in height or 40 feet in full width span (Dona Ana County Master Gardeners, 2009). S. nigra has a large range (primarily) in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Once it was quite populous throughout this region and was utilized by indigenous cultures but has since dwindled largely due to human intrusion.

Mexican Elderberry is often used as a lovely landscape aesthetic but it also is useful for its other assets. It has been employed by indigenous cultures for medicinal, ceremonial, and other cultural purposes (Stevens and Nesom, 2016). It is a fruit bearing plant which contains blue, purple, and red berries. The red berries are avoided due to their toxicity, but the blue and purple berries contain many nutritional compounds. They have been harvested in mass and used for a multitude of foods as well as medicines and herbal supplements; the flowers too can be consumed. Aside from the aforementioned, the material collected from S. nigra has been used for dyes, arrows, and instruments (often for religious ceremonies). If this tree were to become extinct the world would lose an invaluable and beautiful resource.

 

References:

Dona Ana County Master Gardeners. 2009. Tree Care Summary: Mexican Elderberry/ Sambucus Mexicana. Available: http://aces.nmsu.edu/county/donaana/mastergardener/documents/mexican-elderberry.pdf. Accessed on 10/15/2016

 

Stevens M., and Nesom G., United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Services. Plant Guide: Common Elderberry, Available: https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_sanic4.pdf. Accessed on 10/16/2016

Photo:

McAuley. 1996. Available: http://nativeplants.csuci.edu/sambucus-nigra.htm