Blue Elderberry
Sambucus caerulea
Family: Fabaceae
OTHER NAMES
Mexican elderberry
Spanish: tápiro, sáuco
CHARACTERISTICS
Elderberry trees are summer deciduous, which means they will lose some or all of their leaves in June. They may look sickly in June but are just dormant, so beware of this. Elderberry usually grows to 12-15’. Some species can get much taller, to 30’, depending on conditions. The white flowers appear in May to September and blueish fruits from July through October.
LANDSCAPE USE
A screening shrub or shade tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun, in lower elevations, give plants afternoon shade, or even total shade (but bright)
WATER moderate to regular water
SOIL improved soil will make plants happier, especially in the low desert. Naturally they grow in amongst mesquite trees
HARDINESS hardy to about -5 to -10°F
BASIN mid to low zone
CONTAINER not the best for containers, especially in the low desert
NUTRITION moderate
MAINTENANCE very little, just be aware this plant can go dormant in summer, especially in the low desert
Photo by Damon Tighe, iNaturalist
Sambucus caerulea on SEINET
ECOLOGY
Plants attract all kinds of insects with their flowers, fruits, and as a larval host species, thus they also attract substrate-insectivorous birds. Birds also use the fruits for food, and the canopy for nesting. Larval host for the noctuid moths Acerra normalis, Admetovis oxymorus, Trichordestra tacoma, Zotheca tranquilla, and many other moths.
ETHNOBOTANY
This is a great edible plant, but the fruits must be made into preserves/cooked/processed. Elderberry wine is made from the fruits. The flowers are made into teas or used to flavor liqueurs. Washes made from the bark are used to soothe external sores. Berries make black or purple dye and stems used to make orange dye. The wood is used to make musical instruments. Flowers stimulate sweating in dry fevers, while leaves have a mild laxative effect, are diuretic and useful in rheumatism and arthritis.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Native to the western United States, Canada, and Mexico along streams, canyons, open areas in coniferous forests, moist soils from 4,500-9,500 ft.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Adoxaceae, the moschatel family. Currently there are 11 accepted species of Sambucus, and many subspecies and varieties.
Sambucus comes from the Greek Sambuke, referring to an harplike instrument made of elder wood. The species name “caerulea” is the Latin for "(heavenly) blue" referring to the berries.
The taxonomy of elderberry is confusing—if you’re not a botanist, don’t lose sleep over it. This is the taxon that is common along the Santa Cruz river near Nogales, Tubac, etc. and used to be more common along riparian corridors in the Tucson basin before the water table dropped. This species is found below 5000’. Above 6000’ the black elderberry is encountered (Sambucus canadensis), and even higher up, usually above 8000’ the red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is found. The most appropriate species for most of us in our region to grow is the Mexican elderberry. And expect the botanical names to change in the next few years as botanists do the important work of looking at the genetics—botanical names change because they need to reflect what we know about the evolutionary relationships between species. Sambucus is still in need of revision.
Blue elderberry is also known as Caerulea nigra subsp. caerulea. American black elderberry found at higher elevations is formerly known as Sambucus nigra var. canadensis.
The berries are not edible raw. They must be processed into preserves. Photo by Gavin Slater, iNaturalist
In the low desert, elderberry is dormant in summer, and actively growing in winter. Photo by Sky Jacobs, SEINET
At higher elevations you will find the American black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) which has greener, lusher foliage and darker colored berries. Photo by Paul Rothrock, SEINET
Another higher elevation species of elderberry is the red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). Photo by Max Licher.