Himalayan Blackberry - Rubus discolor

Family: Rosaceae (Rose family) ^[E-flora]

Description

Synonyms

• Rubus armeniacus Weihe & Nees ^{[E-flora][PFAF]}
• R. procerus ^[PFAF]

"Rubus procerus is a deciduous Shrub growing to 10 m (32ft 10in) at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.The plant is self-fertile."
"Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil." [PFAF]

Himalayan blackberry is an introduced invasive species of Rubus that originates in Armenia. It was introduced to Europe in 1835, and Australasia and North America in 1885, for its fruit, but soon escaped and naturalized (Wikipedia 2010). It is now present in most of temperate regions of the world. In North America, Himalayan blackberry is found in many US states (USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, DE, HI, ID, IL, KY, MA, MO, MT, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OR, PA, TN, UT, VA, WA) and two Canadian provinces (BC, ON) (USDA 2010). It appeared in BC in the 1970's and was collected by Brink and McHale in 1973 in Pitt Meadows (UBC Herbarium record, V178889). In the lower Fraser delta this species forms thick hedgerows along fields and waterways, and provides 'briar patch' shelter for feral domestic rabbits. It is an ecosystem altering species that disrupts natural systems. ^[E-flora]
Both its scientific name and origin have been the subject of much confusion, with much of the literature referring to it as either Rubus procerus or Rubus discolor, and often mistakenly citing its origin as western European.[2][3][4]^[Wiki]

• Origin Status: Exotic ^[E-flora]
  
• General: Medium to tall, coarse shrub, 2-5 m or more long, thicket-forming; stems 5-15 mm in diameter, erect to ascending, then high-arching, sprawling and trailing along the ground, some rooting at the ends, five-angled, with stout, flattened, hooked prickles.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  
• Leaves: Alternate, evergreen, palmately compound, 5-20 cm long; leaflets 5 on first-year canes, mostly 3 on flowering canes, egg-shaped, 5-12 cm long, double-saw-toothed and abruptly sharp-pointed at the tip, green and smooth above, greyish-woolly beneath, the leaf-stalks and midveins beneath prickly; stipules linear.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  
• Flowers: Inflorescence of 5 to 20 stalked flowers in open, terminal or axillary clusters, the stalks woolly and prickly; corollas white to pinkish, the petals 5, spreading, egg-shaped, 10-15 mm long; calyces woolly, 5-lobed, the lobes lanceolate, bent back, 8-12 mm long; ovaries superior; stamens 100 or more.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  
• Fruits: Drupelets, smooth, coherent in a black nearly globe-shaped cluster that falls with the fleshy receptacle (a blackberry), the berries 1-1.5 cm wide.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  
• Habitat: Moist to wet waste places, roadsides, ditches and fencerows in the lowland zone.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  
• Range: common in SW BC; introduced from Asia.^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Food Uses

• Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, cakes etc[3, 105, 183]. The fruit can also be dried for later use[183]. Very large for a blackberry[50, 183] with a very pleasant rich flavour when fully ripe[K]. [PFAF]

Other Uses

• Dye: A purple to dull blue dye is obtained from the fruit[168]. [PFAF]

Cultivation

"Easily grown in a good well-drained loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1, 11, 200]. A form of this species, known as 'Himalayan giant', is commonly cultivated in temperate zones for its edible fruit[50]. Although a blackberry, the stems are often perennial and can fruit for more than one year[50].... Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200]." [PFAF]

• Control of Himalayan blackberry can be achieved by digging, mowing or herbicides. One novel approach to control is livestock grazing, particularly by goats--a method that is widely used in Australia and New Zealand to control blackberry (Cox 2003). Goats remove the top growth of the plant, eventually killing it. Research has shown that Himalayan blackberry occurs in soils that have more sand than clay present (Caplan and Yeakley 2006).[E-flora-Notes]

Propagation

"Seed - requires stratification and is best sown in early autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires one month stratification at about 3°c and is best sown as early as possible in the year. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a cold frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200]. Tip layering in July. Plant out in autumn. Division in early spring or just before leaf-fall in the autumn[200]." [PFAF]

References

• [E-flora] Rubus armeniacus, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Rubus%20armeniacus, [Accessed: 9/21/2014]
  
  • [Notes]]
    • Cox, Caroline. 2003. Nonchemical methods for removing unwanted blackberry plants. Journal of Pesticide Reform 23 (1): 10-11.
    • Caplan, Joshua S. and J. Alan Yeakley. 2006. Rubus armeniacusOccurrence and Growth in Relation to Soil and Light Conditions in Western Oregon. Northwest Science 80 (1): 9-10.
• [PFAF] Rubus procerus, Plants for a Future, http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Rubus+procerus, Accessed Aug 20, 2016
• [Wiki] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_armeniacus, Wikipedia, Accessed Aug 20, 2016
  • [2]Ceska, A. (1999). Rubus armeniacus - a correct name for Himalayan Blackberries Botanical Electronic News 230. Available online.
  • [3]Flora of NW Europe: Rubus armeniacus
  • [4]University of British Columbia Botany Photo of the Day: July 21, 2005 : Rubus armeniacus