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Key to Species — Part 39

A. Leaves and young shoots pubescent; fruit destitute of bloom. (S. Mexicana) MEXICAN ELDER

AA. Leaves and young shoots smooth; fruit covered with a pale bloom. (S. glauca) PALE ELDER

Our two arborescent species of the genus Sambucus are found west of the Mississippi, but the family traits are familiar to Eastern people through their acquaintance with the two shrubby species, the red-berried and the black-berried elders.

There are twenty species, all told, in the genus. The golden elder is a yellow-leaved form of the European species, Sambucus nigra, Linn. Two other species have produced golden varieties. These are altogether too much planted, and the handsome shrubby native species, above mentioned, have not been fully appreciated.

The fruit of the common elder is used in making elderberry wine, and elderberry pie is a staple viand in many country districts in the season of the ripening fruit. In fact, the idea of the improvement of this species as a small fruit has taken hold upon some plant breeders. The Brainerd elderberry with fruit as big as cherries was introduced into the trade in 1890.

Elder shoots are used in toy making and for "spiles" to draw sap from maple trees. The name of the genus is from the Greek, Sambuke, a musical wind instrument made of the hollow stems of the elder.

The Mexican Elder (S. Mexicana, DC.) grows to 30 feet high in the river bottoms of western Texas, and west to California, and south through Mexico and Central America. It is a squat, round-headed tree, with its short trunk bulging suddenly at the base. A soft pubescence covers leaves and twigs. The shiny, black fruit, borne in loose clusters, is eaten by Indians and Mexicans. The tree is often planted near homes for its shade and fruit.

The Pale Elder (S. glauca, Nutt.) is smooth throughout, and gets its name from the whitish floury covering of the berries. The leaves are pale beneath. The berries are edible. This elder grows from British Columbia to southern California, and east scantily and reduced in stature as far as Montana and Utah. It is sometimes planted as an ornamental. Trees from 30 to 50 feet high are seen in dry, gravelly soil in the coast region, especially in Oregon.