Rubus bifrons Vest ex Tratt

Himalayan Berry

Category
Shrub

Similar Species May be confused with the following native and/or non-native species. Landscape Alternatives lists native horticultural substitutes	Rubus spp.

Description

Height

Himalayan Berry grows to 9 feet (3 m) in height.

Stem

The stems are angled to terete and scantly pilose to pubescent. Prickles are scattered and variable in length, 1/6-1/3 in (4-8 mm), straight to nearly hooked.

Leaves

Alternate, palmately compound, 5-foliate; leaflets ovate-elliptic, 3-3.5 inches (7.5-8.5 cm) long and 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) broad; glabrous above, brown-canescent to tomentose beneath; narrowed at the base; gradually or abruptly narrowed at apex; margins finely or acutely serrate; armed with short hooked spines; petioles and rachis are also armed with short hooked spines.

Flowers

The flowers grow in paniculate cymes. Their sepals are densely white tomentose on both sides, elliptic lanceolate, and 0.2-0.3 inch (0.6-0.8 cm) long. The petals are roseate to white, short clawed, and 0.6-0.8 inch (1.5-2 cm) long.

Fruit

An aggregation of black drupelets, about 0.6 inch (15 mm) in diameter, the fruits mature in June and July.

Life History

It is a member of the Rosaceae Family. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and can be pollinated by insects or apomictic (reproduce by seeds formed without sexual fusion). The plant is self-fertile. Rubus is a Roman name meaning red; bifrons refers to the dimorphic leaves. A purple to dull blue dye can be obtained from the fruit.

This blackberry is glandless. Rubus is a complex genus. Species are difficult to identify due to frequent hybridization and introgression.

Habitat

Himalayan Berry prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. Himalayan Berry invades open areas along streams, in grasslands, along roads and fence lines, under power lines and eaves, anywhere that songbirds perch.

Origin and Distribution

Himalayan Berry is native to Armenia. Escaped from gardens and on a large scale naturalized in Central Europe, Scandinavia, Great Britain, and some other countries, in North America, it is one of the most frequent aliens, often as a serious widely spread weed. Other States Where Invasive: GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN.

Sources

Grae. I. Nature's Colors: Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

Management Recommendations

Mechanical Control

Cut back canes to near the ground and dig out basal burl with a shovel or backhoe. Canes, burls and roots can be allowed to dry in a sunny place and burned. Check monthly for re-sprouts for six months, and pull them or cut them below the surface with a shovel. Check every two months thereafter. In most cases, a plant's energy reserves are depleted within a year, and it dies. Seed from the berries can germinate and re-infest a site. Make a final check the spring after removal, at which time all seedlings can be pulled out. Since Himalaya berry seeds are dispersed by song birds, complete eradication is impractical.