Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor)
Description
Perennial, blooms June to August. Root buds produce trailing, reddish stems with sharp spines that can grow more than 20 feet per season. Leaves alternate, and are palmate and compound with serrate margins. Flowers are five-petaled, white to light pink. Fruits aggregate.
Impacts
Himalayan (also called Armenian) blackberry is the most widespread and economically disruptive of all the noxious weeds in western Oregon. It aggressively displaces native plant species, dominates most riparian habitats, and has a significant economic impact on right-of-way maintenance, agriculture, park maintanance and forest production. It results in a significant cost in riparian restoration projects and physically inhibits access to recreational activities. It reproduces at cane apices (tips) and by seeds, which are carried by birds and animals. This strategy allows it to expand en masse across a landscape or to jump great distances and create new infestations. Any control strategy can be considered short-lived unless projects are planned and funded for the long-term.