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Native alternative(s) for Rubus bifrons:
Rubus allegheniensis Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus flagellaris Rubus flagellaris
Rubus occidentalis Leaves and flowers Trifoliate
Rubus trivialis Rubus trivialis
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Rubus allegheniensis Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus idaeus subsp. strigosus Raspberry plant
Rubus laciniatus Rubus laciniatus
Rubus bifrons has some common insect problems:
Rednecked Cane Borer
Raspberry Cane Borer
Rubus bifrons has some common disease problems:
Fusarium Wilt of Blackberry

Hybrid blackberry Rubus bifrons

Previously known as:

  • Rubus fortis
  • Rubus speciosus
Phonetic Spelling
ROO-bus BY-fronz
Description

Himalayan blackberry is a European species of perennial deciduous shrub in the rose (Rosaceae) family now widespread in North America. It is common in the mountains of North Carolina and occasionally found on the Piedmont and coastal parts of the state.

This plant is easy to propagate with rooting canes (branches) than seeds. It grows well in full sun or light shade and in most soils (sandy, loamy, or clay). It prefers well-drained loamy soil. The fruit is edible, but not as useful for that purpose as other species of blackberry.

This blackberry has biennial stems, that is, it produces a number of new stems each year from the perennial rootstock that fruit in their second year and then die. The plant produces apomictic flowers, which produce fruit and viable seed without fertilization, each seedling is a genetic copy of the parent.

Information on blackberry cultivation for home gardeners is available in the NC State Extension publication Blackberries for the Home Garden.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.  It can be very weedy and invasive in some areas of the country, especially in the pacific northwest.

More information on Rubus.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#thorns#shrub#high maintenance#showy fruits#fast growing#aggressive#spines#edible fruits#nectar plant late spring#nectar plant early summer#nectar plant midspring#perennial#weed#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#thorns#shrub#high maintenance#showy fruits#fast growing#aggressive#spines#edible fruits#nectar plant late spring#nectar plant early summer#nectar plant midspring#perennial#weed#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Rubus
    Species:
    bifrons
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Stem Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Europe
    Distribution:
    Has naturalized in much of North America
    Wildlife Value:
    This plant provides nectar for pollinators and fruits for birds and other animals.
    Edibility:
    Edible raw or cooked, but flavor is not as satifying as other species of blackberry.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Perennial
    Shrub
    Habit/Form:
    Arching
    Creeping
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Coarse
    Appendage:
    Prickles
    Spines
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Edible
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Mature fruit is up to 3/4 of an inch long.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Pink
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Cup
    Flower Description:
    Flowers are white or pink, in large arrays at the ends of branches, sometimes containing as many as 100 flowers. Blooms from April to June.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Prickly
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are palmately compound with three or five leaflets. Deciduous to semievergreen terminal elliptic or ovate to suborbiculate, base rounded to shallowly cordate, unlobed, margins moderately to coarsely serrate, apex acute or acuminate to short-attenuate, abaxial surfaces white (gray-green in shade), with hooked prickles on largest veins, short-velutinous to tomentose, eglandular, rarely sparsely sessile-glandular along midveins.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Hairy (pubescent)
    Stem Description:
    arching, sometimes creeping early or with age, sparsely to densely hairy, eglandular or sparsely sessile-glandular, not or weakly pruinose; prickles moderately dense, hooked, erect, stout, broad- or narrow-based.
  • Landscape:
    Attracts:
    Pollinators
    Problems:
    Spines/Thorns
    Weedy