Western Blue Elder Berry Hardwood

Blue elderberry is found from southern british columbia to california.

Western blue elder berry hardwood.

Elderberries have been an important food and medicine source for thousands of years but only the blue and purple berried species are edible. Blue elderberry is a unique and valuable pacific northwest native. It is native from oregon to baja all the way to western texas. Its berries are one of the most important source of food for birds in california.

Some of the taxonomic confusion doubtless reflects its wide distribution in western north america from southern canada to northern mexico. Elderberry apple pie seemed better to most of us but grandpa liked the pie that was straight elderberry. It thrives on moist soils including those that flood. Start by soaking the cuttings in water for 24 hours to thoroughly rehydrate them.

Blue elderberry prefers a sunny location along the forest edge. For assistance contact dr. It is generally found in drier open forests edges and slopes. Sometimes tree like blue elderberry grows 6 12 feet 2 4m.

Blue elderberry has previously been called sambucus cerulea sambucus caerulea sambucus mexicana sambucus glauca sambucus neomexicana and several other scientific names. An attractive upright growing ornamental and fruiting shrub that will decorate your yard with its very large clusters of creamy white edible flowers followed by abundant crops of tasty powder blue berries. Western blue elderberry is native to a long strip of the west ranging all the way from canada through washington oregon california and into mexico. It has cream or yellow flowers in the spring and purple berries in the fall.

Elderberry cuttings should be about 6 to 8 inches long and include at least 4 buds. It is very drought tolerant and often grows on dry mountaintops but can also be found in meadows and along streams. Gardening on lakebed sediments with 7 inch silty clay loam topsoil 7 inch clay accumulation layer underneath have added sand in places. The leaves are pinnate with usually 3 to 9 lanceolate serrated leaflets.

Blue elderberry mexican elderberry or tapiro is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to as tall as 30 feet. Sambucus nigra ssp cerulea western blue elder blue elderberry. Facu it usually occurs in non wetlands but occasionally is found in wetlands. Berries and flowers are a native food source that can be eaten fresh but are best cooked or made into elderberry wine jam.

Western montana gardener and botanist in zone 6a according to 2012 zone update. Blue elderberry is a deciduous fruit tree native to western north america. Whether you ve ordered elderberry cuttings online or cut them fresh from existing plants the process is the same once they re in hand. The plant has large cymes of small white flowers which will produce blue berries.

To western montana through west texas.