''Sambucus mexicana'' may refer to the following North American black or blue elderberry species: *''Sambucus mexicana'' ::= ''Sambucus mexicana'' var. ''bipinnata'' ::= ''

Sambucus canadensis ''Sambucus canadensis'', the American black elderberry, Canada elderberry, or common elderberry, is a North American species of elderberry. Description It is a deciduous suckering shrub growing to tall. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs ...

'' ::= ''

Sambucus nigra ''Sambucus nigra'' is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Viburnaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in ...

'' subsp. ''canadensis'' *''Sambucus mexicana'' ::= ''Sambucus mexicana'' subsp. ''cerulea'' ::= ''

Sambucus cerulea ''Sambucus cerulea'' or ''Sambucus nigra'' subsp. ''cerulea'', with the common names blue elderberry and blue elder, is a coarse textured shrub species of Sambucus, elder in the family Adoxaceae. Description ''Sambucus cerulea'' is a large, ...

'' ::= ''

'' subsp. ''cerulea''

Overview

:Sambucus Mexicana, or Sambucus Nigra, is also known as Blue Elderberry, has a Genus background and is part of the Vibrionaceae (

Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species in 33 to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and easte ...

) family tree. Its blooming period stretches from March to July. It is equally likely to occur in

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s and non-wetlands.

Description

:Sambucus mexicana tree that grows between 2-9 meters tall (30 feet). With pinnate leaves that consist of 5-9 leaflets, they emit a strong smell. The compounded leaves tend to be adorned with clusters of white to cream-colored, small flowers. These ensembles of flowers are conjoined with dark blue or black berries.

Habitat Distribution

:Despite Sambucus Mexicana being indigenous to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, it is widely distributed throughout Southwestern United States in states

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and as well as regions in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Often situated in

s adjacent to

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

scrublands Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It ...

, and woodlands. Due to the adaptability of the plant, it is both dry and moist tolerant and often thrives with a consistent water source.

Uses

Traditional and Medicinal Uses

All preparations and uses of all parts (except the flowers) of Sambucus is with regards to the deadly amount of

cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...

carried within the plant. With that aside, the medicinal benefits of this plant are immense and have carried its fortune from pre-colonial times until now. The flowers of Sambucus known as elder flowers can be picked and steeped into a tea for “colds, flu, fever, and clearing the skin”. No additional preparation is necessary. When harvesting the flowers of Sambucus take care to leave at least more than 80% of the flowers so that there will be enough for the berries to grow and for those berries to be used in the future. The bark of Sambucus is often used as “a cathartic, laxative, and diuretic”. The preparation of the bark involves aging for at least a year so that the

has time to degrade. Sambucus and other western species of elderberry need more time than other elderberry species as they have larger amounts of cyanide. Indigenous to California, Sambucus is one of the largest elder tree carrier of cyanide.

Culinary

:The fully ripe berries of Sambucus may be used medicinally for immune benefits. Preparation includes removing all stems and possibly unripe berries. The unripe berries contain cyanide even if they age off of the branch. Oftentimes people will make tinctures or a common favorite, elderberry syrup which can be eaten with

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

s or any other way that syrup would normally be consumed.

Relation to Indigenous Peoples

:Sambucus mexicana has been utilized by a variety of Indigenous tribes in California, like Acjachemen Indians of San Juan Capistrano,

, and is an important plant for them. For the Acjachemen people, it is known as the “tree of music,” for the construction of wood to develop into

clapper stick A clapper stick (also clap-stick or split stick rattle) is a traditional idiophone common among the indigenous peoples of California. It is traditionally constructed by cutting the branch of an elderberry tree, hollowing it out, and partially ...

s, a wind instrument.

Related Species

:Sambucus mexicana is closely related to many other elderberry species like ''

'' (black elderberry) and ''

'' (American elderberry).

References

{{Set index article, plants