Home › Rosaceae › Rubus › Rubus armeniacus (Armenian/Himalayan blackberry)

armeniacus – of Armenia

Native range: Armenia and Northern Iran

Rubus armeniacus Massenbestand

Leaves:

  • alternate, more or less
  • evergreen (some deciduous)
  • trifoliate (on floral shoots) to 5-foliate (on vegetative shoots)
  • 12-25 cm wide
  • leaflets:
    • toothed
    • oval
    • smooth, green above
    • covered with white hairs below

Rubus armeniacus 01

Flowers:

  • white to pinkish
  • 2-3 cm across
  • 5 petals
  • many stamens, in clusters of 5–20

European honey bee

Fruit:

  • blackberries
  • 1–1.5 cm thick
  • edible

Union Bay Natural Area - Himalayan Blackberry 01

Other characteristics:

  • erect to sprawling
  • stout stems (canes) erect, then arching, then trailing along the ground (to 10 m. long) and rooting at the ends, often distinctly 4-angled, armed with stout, recurved prickles
  • often forming dense, impenetrable thickets
  • large, deep, woody root balls that sprout at nodes

Relevant info:

  • The name has changed a number of times in the last two decades, you may also find this plant listed under R. procerus or R. discolor in various sources

Ecology & Adaptations:

  • an Asian species introduced for fruit production from India via England and widely naturalized, in disturbed sites and streamside areas, at low elevations
  • vegetative reproduction:
    • arching stems reroot when they touch ground
    • sprouts from root crown and buds
  • seed dispersal – birds and mammals eat the fruit and disperse seeds
  • control:
    • not required legally but recommended in protected wilderness areas and in natural lands that are being restored to native vegetation because of the invasiveness of these species and its ability to outcompete native species
    • due to the deep roots, digging up large established plants is difficult and may need to be repeated if not all the roots are removed
    • repeated cutting can help keep the plants from overtaking over vegetation
    • removal methods may be combined:
      • manual removal, including digging up root balls
      • mechanical removal (mowing several times over several years, if desirable species will not be damaged)
      • goats can be effective biological control
      • herbicides (glyphosate, triclopyr, 2,4‐D and metsulfuron) can be effective with mowing