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Sambucus mexicana
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Blue Elderberry
( Sambucus mexicana )
Sambucus mexicana
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
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80 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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About Blue Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana)
80 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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Attractive, hardy, and easy to grow, the Blue Elderberry is also an important food source for California wildlife. In spring, large clusters of cream-colored flowers attract butterflies and bees. The abundant blue berries provide food for birds and other animals. Humans can eat the fruit as long as it?s cooked.
This fast-growing shrub is tolerant of a variety of growing conditions, although it does best in sun and well-drained moist, rich soil. It can grow to the size of a small tree, up to 30 feet tall but is easily shaped with pruning.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). Www.wildflower.org. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SANIC5
Plant Description
Plant Type
Shrub, Tree
Size
20 - 30 ft tall
20 - 30 ft wide
Form
Fountain
Growth Rate
Fast
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Fragrance
None
Flower Color
Cream, Yellow, Purple
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer
Wildlife Supported
Many bird species. Elderberries are one of the most important source of food for birds in California.
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 23
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
White-lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
Hyles lineata
*
Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus
Antheraea polyphemus
*
Alfalfa Looper Moth
Autographa californica
Autographa californica
*
Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth
Estigmene acrea
Estigmene acrea
*
Virginian Tiger Moth
Spilosoma virginica
Spilosoma virginica
*
The Small Engrailed
Ectropis crepuscularia
Ectropis crepuscularia
*
Common Gray
Anavitrinella pampinaria
Anavitrinella pampinaria
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Shade, Part Shade, Full Sun
Moisture
Low
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 80
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 5° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils but prefers well-drained soils with moisture. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.0
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens
Companion Plants
Toyon
(
Heteromeles arbutifolia
);
Coast Live Oak
,
White Flowering Currant
Maintenance
Accepts pruning readily .
Natural Setting
Site Type
Streambanks, slope bottoms, canyons, slightly moister places throughout the state. It occurs in conjunction with a variety of vegetation types including chaparral, sage scrub, grassland, and wetland-riparian.
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.7" - 153.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 5.67", Coldest Month: 24.3" - 57.2", Hottest Month: 47.0" - 80.8", Humidity: 0.01" - 31.90", Elevation: -221" - 10519"
Alternative Names
Botanical Names
: Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea
Common Names
: Common Elderberry, Mexican Elderberry
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Blue Elderberry
Sambucus mexicana
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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