Characteristics of the Mexican Elderberry

Structure and Growing Habit

• Mexican elderberry grows 15 to 25 feet tall and 25 to 35 feet wide, although depending on the environment it can remain smaller as well. It has an open, symmetrical form, with small, weeping branches. The wood starts out soft, but hardens as it matures, protected by a grayish or dark brown ridged bark. The leaves are light green and compound, with three to nine ovate-shaped, toothed-edge leaflets on each leaf. Mexican elderberry drops its leaves during dry weather, making it a semi-evergreen plant.

Flowers and Fruit

• In spring or early summer, depending on the climate, showy creamy white flowers appear on the Mexican elderberry. Individual flowers have five petals and measure less than an inch across, but clustered together into flat-topped bunches measuring 4 or more inches across, they can still be seen when in bloom even from a distance. Bunches of edible blue-black fruit, with an appearance similar to blueberries, follow the flowers. A white film covering the berries lightens the original almost-black color.

Climate and Culture

• This tree grows in warmer climates, from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7b through 10b. It loves full sun and sandy or average loam soils, but can adapt to almost any kind of soil -- clay, sand, loam, acidic or alkaline -- as long as it has good drainage. It will not grow in salty soils, however. Plant the tree in an area that does not often receive high winds, as the brittle branches easily snap.

Care

• Mexican elderberry requires very little attention after establishment. It needs no fertilizer, and water only during the hottest and driest weather. If you live in a particularly dry area, placing a 2-inch layer of mulch around the tree can help conserve moisture for it. If the Mexican elderberry starts dropping its leaves during the growing season, water to a depth of 8 to 10 inches from the trunk of the tree to out beyond its canopy. The tree has no serious pests and diseases. The only consistent attention you'll need to provide is pruning to form a strong structure. When young, cut out competing trunks, favoring the strongest. As suckers and water spouts appear, cut them out. Remove dead, dying and diseased branches as well to keep the structure strong.