BLUE ELDERBERRY   Sambucas mexicana Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)		Although they are not very tasty out of hand, the tinyu berries make good pies, preserves and of course wine.  Some other species of elderberry have red berries that are inedible.     Native Americans had many uses for the elderberry.  The berries were used as food and dye, bark was brewed into a tea for relief of fevers, leaves were said to sooth the effect of of contact with stinging nettle, straight branches were made into arrow shafts and the wood provided flutes and clappers. The importance of this latter use is reflected in the fact that many tribes referred to elderberry as the "tree of music." The pith of the wood is soft and easily removed in all species of the genus.
LEAF:  Opposite and pinnately compound with 3 to 5 serrate leaflets.  Leaflets are oblong, glabrous and odiferous. FLOWER:  Large flat-topped clusters with manyh small cream colored flowers. Blooms in early summer. FRUIT:  Small (1/4 inch) edible drupe. Almost black, whitish bloom gives them a blue color. Ripen in mid-summer.     The blue elderberry, also known as Mexican elderberry, is an adaptable and widespread large shrub or small tree, which may be found from central California to northern Baja California and east to Arizona.  In southern California it ovvurs in coastal sage scrub, chaparral and riparian communities.  When growing in canyons or with a source of water, the elderberry will keep its foliage, but survives in dry areas by becoming drought deciduous.     Sambucus mexicana has fast growth, developing fountain- like structure with multiple trunks.  Its size is dependent on soil and water, but in a garden situation hard pruning can keep it to several feet in height.  Allowed to grow unpruned, it can reach 20 to 30 feet in height and as wide.     An extremely significant habitat plant, the sweet smelling flowers of the elderberry are attractive to a number of bees, butterflies and other nectar seekers, while the berries provide a great food sourve for birds and other animals.  Homeowners who have the spave and want to attract wildlife to their yard would do well to plant this shrub/tree.			Sambucus is the greek name far a musical instrument indicating that it provided music in the old world as well as the new.     It is possible to grow elderberries from seed, but semi-hardwood cuttings root readily making this the preferred propagation technique.