Weed Information: Rubus armeniacus (blackberry, Himalaya)
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Rubus armeniacus (blackberry, Himalaya)

Family: Rosaceae

Description

The most common of the escaped blackberries. The stems and petioles with strong, hooked or straight, thorns. The leaves with five, entire, palmately arranged leaflets.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Red (or pink)
  • White
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Panicle
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Petal Tip
  • Rounded
  • Square
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.6 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.80 inch)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
  • 3.0 cm (1.2 inches)
Number of Sepals
  • 5 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Sepal Tip
  • Pointed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • More than 10 styles
Number of Stamens
  • more than 10 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens NOT attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments or anthers NOT united

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels separated
Number of Carpels
  • >10 carpels
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Berry, black
  • Berry, green
  • Berry, red
  • Aggregate
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.80 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.60 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Alternate
Leaf Type
  • Compound palmate 4 or 5 leaflets
  • Trifoliolate (3 leaflets)
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Palmate
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole 25% - 75% total length
  • Petiole > 75% total length
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.6 - 4.0 inches)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Dentate
  • Serrate
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acute (cuneate)
  • Rounded
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
  • Lower leaf surface more hairy
  • Pubescent
  • Tomentose
Succulence
  • Not succulent

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Semi-woody
  • Woody
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines on leaves or stems
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Perennial
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, spherical (bushy)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 8 - 10 dm (2.6 - 3.3 feet)
  • 1 - 1.5 meters (3.3 - 5.0 feet)
  • 1.5 - 2.0 meters (5.0 - 6.6 feet)
  • 2 - 2.5 meters (6.6 - 8.3 feet)
  • 2.5 - 5 meters (8.3 - 16.6 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Seasonally saturated
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Ridged
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem unbranched
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Rhizomatous
  • Rooting at the nodes
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Delaware
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • Hawaii
  • Maryland
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • Ontario
Other
  • District of Columbia

  • Aquatic and Riparian Plants of the West, 2003 (ISBN# 1-879906-59-7) See page: 348
  • California Growers Weed Identification Handbook, 1968 - 1998 University of California Publication # 4030-1, See page: 121
  • Gilkey`s Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 155
  • Northwest Weeds, 1990 (ISBN 0-87842-249-8) See page: 59
  • Weeds of California, 1970, State of California Publications and Documents. See page: 249
  • Weeds of California and other Western States, 2007 (ISBN 13: 978-1-879906-69-3) See Page: 1426
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 x
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
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