For an unknown reason, I decided to listen to Elton John’s song “Elderberry Wine” on YouTube the other day. It’s a great song; I’ve just never felt moved to look it up. I heard quite often from a vinyl record decades ago.<\/p>\n
At the same time, there’s a tree growing in my abandoned garden (very good soil, just no time to plant it) that I’ve been wondering about. Not long after hearing “Elderberry Wine”, I happened to be thumbing through a field guide when I stumbled upon elder<\/em>. There were three varieties: black, blue, and Pacific red. Elder<\/i>, the guide points out, is also referred to as elderberry<\/i>.<\/p>\n The elderberry<\/i> description matches the tree in my backyard – especially that of the blue elderberry. It would be tempting to assume the tree to be Pacific red, but it doesn’t have an unpleasant odor. The leaflets, saw-toothed and pinnately compound, occur in groupings of nine, rather than five to seven. The ecology – a cleared, yet neglected place – more closely matches that of blue elderberry as well.<\/p>\n Of course, the real test would be the colour of the berries, but there’ve not been any; perhaps the tree is too young to flower. I guess we’ll see.<\/p>\n It’s tempting to imagine that tree out in the backyard, with strains of “Elderberry Wine” reaching it through the open window:)<\/p>\n I’ll be sharing more of my field finds.<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Little, Elbert L., Susan Rayfield and Olivia Buehl. Audubon Society Field Guide to North<\/u> Pojar, Jim and Andy MacKinnon. Plants of Coastal British Columbia<\/u>. Vancouver: Elton John. “Elderberry Wine.” MCA Records, 1972.<\/a><\/p>\n
American Trees<\/u>, western region.<\/u> New York: Knopf, 1986.<\/p>\n
BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing, 1994.<\/p>\n