Sambucus mexicana - Blue Elderberry

A California native deciduous shrub or tree growing 15-25' tall forming an irregularly rounded to spreading form with multiple stems arising from an older trunk. Old trees have thick trunks but the wood making up the canopy is usually fairly young as suckers arise along the trunk or flat lying branches. Usually found near water, but seems to be pretty tolerant of dry soils.

Leaves are deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 6-12" long, with 5-7 lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaflets with serrated margins and noticeable unequal leaf bases. Leaflets are about 2-4" long and about 1" wide, and medium green. Trees growing with little water have smaller leaves that are often curled.

Flowers yellowish white, in a flat topped cyme. Individually small, but in large quantities making a nice display.

Fruit is blue when ripe, 3/8' diameter, sometimes with a distinct waxy covering. Infructescence gets very heavy and hang when fruit is ripe.

Young stems are bright green with orangish lenticels. Suckers can be very thick and grow very rapidly.

Bark on older trees is ridged, reddish brown in color.

I learned this plant as Sambucus caerulea back in the day, and will always recall seeing them all over Pullman WA and "getting" the caerulea part due to the fruit color. Also called S. mexicana caerulea or S. nigra cerulean.

Misidentification:
Not hard to identify, suckering habit, unequal leaflet bases, blue fruit.

Location:
Just about everywhere you find native plants growing.

Aptos
Nisene Marks all over the road prior to the pay station,
502 Loma Prieta Dr. 

Fraxinus ornus - Flowering Ash

The Flowering ash or sometimes called the Manna ash is a small to medium sized deciduous tree growing 25-50' with a spreading habit. Most literature suggests they are small trees in their native habitat of Spain. Not a great shot below, nor a great specimen being pruned by highway crews, but for now it's all I have.

Leaves deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 8-12" long, with 7-9 leaflets. Each leaflet about 2-3" long, medium green, oblong except the terminal which is a bit wider, margins serrated, cuneate base and acuminate tip, lower surface lighter green. Known to have weak reddish fall color, but having just stumbled on this one specimen, I have not seen the fall color.

Flowers creamy yellow in mass but more or less white close up. Trees are androdioecious, new term for me, where plants can produce perfect flowers or they can produce only male flowers. Then again I read that they might not be "functionally" androdioecious?? The flowers are borne in very showy panicles emerging with the spring foliage, males with two stamens, four white strap-like petals and fragrant. They have the typical privet smell.

Fruit is a narrow samara typical of ash trees.


Terminal bud is large, dull brown, many other Ash trees are copper colored buds. Leaf scars are pretty small and more or less flat topped.

Misidentification:
Any other ash tree if not in bloom. Actually, I drive by the specimen almost every day on the freeway and I suspect I thought it was a Sambucus but the other day it just looked different to me so I went back to look. Flowers in May, looking a lot like Chionanthus flowers. Foliage is slightly different that others around here, the terminal is quite broad and the terminal buds are large and dull brown.


Location:
Aptos
9057 Soquel Dr. Really across the street at the bus stop.

Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Green Ash

The green ash is one of the most commonly planted trees in the country because they're very fast growing trees and they provide shade in only a few years. We don't see as many here as in colder climates. As I said, they are fast growing, I have seen 3-5' of growth on some trees when planted as a bare root specimen. They will grow at least 2' a year when young and will eventually reach 70' with a broad asymmetrically rounded canopy. They are deciduous and will provide a weak yellow color that will last for a short period of time unless the weather is cold and they will fall overnight, sometimes still green. Most of the plants sold are male cultivars because females produce millions of fruit that will likely germinate.

Leaves are deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 6-9" long, with 7 elliptical to broadly lanceolate leaflets. Leaflets are about 1-2" long, having various amounts of serrations on the margins, may or may not have hair on the lower surface, but they usually do in the spring.

Twigs can be stout or thin on weak lower branches. Usually squared at the nodes. Buds are covered with hairs, copper colored, with the terminal being larger than the others. Usually three buds in the terminal location. Leaf scars are one key to correct identification. The bud sits on top of the semicircular scar.

Plants are dioecious, male and female. Developing early spring along with the foliage, usually slightly earlier. Many selections are males.

Females.

 Males.

Fruit is a narrow, straight samara, borne in large clusters, green turning brown and falling   about the same time as the leaves.

Bark is smooth, gray but eventually darker, furrowed, scaly or ridged.

Misidentification:
Ash trees can be tough to sort out. The bud and leaf scar are one important characteristic. Leaflet shapes, margins, bud color are other things to look at.

Location:
Aptos 125 Heather Terrace - Aegis Living