A Guide To American Wandlore

Pacific Madrone

Arbutus menziesii, the Pacific madrone or madrona, is a species of tree in the family Ericaceae. It is native to the western coastal areas of the Pacific Coast of North America, growing from northern California to southern British Columbia. Called madrona in the Pacific Northwest, this warm and beautiful redwood is perfect for the typical 'mom friend'. They are nurturers to those fortunate enough to know them and have an affinity for caring for all sorts of flora and fauna, especially birds. Emaline Goode, the professor of Astronomy at Ilvermorny, owns a wand made from Pacific Madrone wood. 

Madrone is considered one of the most popular wand woods in the Pacific Northwest and California. Anyways, the possessor of a wand made from Pacific Madrone is adaptable and often has to go through extreme trial-by-fire situations to attain further personal growth. Because of this tendency to grow after a tragedy, there is a belief that madrone wands are unlucky. However, it is that they are attracted to people who are destined to face and overcome great adversity. This wand desires growth and will grow with its owner once matched, becoming extremely bonded in this process. This wand may bond to the point where it can anticipate its owner's actions and cast spells accordingly before being given a command. Pacific Madrone also stands for the balance between dark and light.

Like this wood, the owner's instincts are, more than not, spot-on. Charisma and common sense are other qualities common to madrone-users. Curiously, when fire-based magic is used against a madrone wand, the madrone's magic becomes more potent, permanently. In maturity, the rusty-red bark of the madrone peels back, revealing a fresh green that feels like cool satin to the touch. What does this mean for this wood's owner? That they will be slow to age and have an affinity for spells that target renewal, rebirth, or age-reversing. This wand is excellent for Astronomy, Charms, and Potions and is most powerful when paired with a thunderbird tail feather core.

As far as sacred trees go, this story shows why, amongst all the trees of the Pacific Northwest, the Arbutus or Madrone Tree holds the title of a most sacred tree to the original inhabitants of this vast region. In the legend of the great flood, the Salish First Nation describes how the Madrona tree provided an anchor for their canoes to hold steady and not drift away. And that's why, to this day, they don't use the Madrone tree as firewood. It is their way of thanking and honoring the memory of the refuge and survival for the People it provided long ago. Isn't it amazing how so many indigenous peoples around the world have a story of the great flood?

On the British Columbia West Coast, the Salish Nation also honors the Arbutus Tree as their Tree of Knowledge because it knows how to find the sun. It twists and turns and somehow knows to drop one branch when there is not enough sunlight and it is shaded and it will grow a new one where the sun can reach it. It explains why there are so many incredible features on the trunks of Madrona trees. Somehow she captures, so eloquently, all that is magical and mysterious, and symbolic and sacred about this amazing tree. Poet Richard Olafson shares another Native legend, writing, "The tree's webbed roots hold the splintered earth together." If the Arbutus should disappear, the myth warns (whether from fungal infection, habitat loss, or some other cause, man-made or otherwise), the planet would fly apart and be utterly destroyed.

The Arbutus tree is also known as the Tree of Depth and Integrity and is symbolic of protection and safety (obviously from the flood myth). No wonder the Arbutus tree is a Native American sacred tree and is still revered. It has an energy about it that attracts people to it. Probably this explains why, to so many, it is their favorite tree. I call it The Spirit of Arbutus. There are times when there is something almost magical about the tree, its shapes, and its always changing nature. In past days the Madrone tree had many uses. Although bland, the berries were eaten by Native Americans. The small fruits would last on the trees sometimes right into winter.

Infusions of the astringent leaves and bark were used to treat wounds, colds, and stomach problems and as a post-childbirth contraceptive. The berries possess some narcotic properties. Combined with other bark types, it was also used to treat tuberculosis and the coughing up of blood. They fashioned eating utensils from the bulbous roots and used the berries and bark for dyeing.