Himalayan Blackberry (Edible Plants on UC Berkeley Campus)

Himalayan Blackberry

Rubus armeniacus

Description ⁴

The Himalayan blackberry is a robust, clambering or sprawling, evergreen
shrub which grows up to 9.8 feet (3 m) in height [25,31]. Leaves are
pinnately to palmately compound, with three to five broad leaflets
[25,31]. Mature leaves are green and glaucous above but tomentose
beneath [31].

Stems of most blackberries are biennial. Sterile first-year stems, or
primocanes, develop from buds at or below the ground surface and bear
only leaves [11]. During the second year, lateral branches, known as
floricanes, develop in the axils of the primocanes, and produce both
leaves and flowers [11].

Perfect flowers are borne in clusters of 3 to 20 [24,31]. Flowers are
most commonly white, but rose or reddish flowers also occur [24,31].
Ripe fruit, commonly referred to as "berries," are soft, shiny black and
composed of an aggregate of large succulent drupelets [3,25].

Habitat characteristics ⁵

More info for the terms: fresh, shrubs

The Himalayan blackberry typically grows in open weedy sites, such as
along field margins, railroad right-of-ways, roadsides, and on abandoned
farms [6,14,31]. It is also common in riparian woodlands and intertidal
zones of central California [18,22,28,32].

Soils: Blackberries grow well on a variety of barren, infertile soil
types [3]. These shrubs tolerate a wide range of soil pH and texture,
but do require adequate soil moisture [33]. The Himalayan blackberry
appears to be tolerant of periodic flooding by brackish or fresh water
[32].

Elevation: Elevational ranges of the Himalayan blackberry have been
documented as follows for two western states [19,31]:

> 6,000 feet (1,829 m) in AZ
from 2,788 to 5,000 feet (850-1,525 m) in UT

Other uses and values ⁶

Himalayan blackberry is the most commonly harvested wild blackberry in
western Washington and Oregon, although its fruit is reportedly less
flavorful than that of the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
[7]. It is a preferred berry for fruit pies [7]. The fruit, roots, and
stems of blackberries have been used to make various medicinal
preparations [3]. Many blackberries are grown in gardens or as
ornamentals. Himalayan blackberry was first cultivated in 1890 [3].