Rubus ellipticus Sm., Rosaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 18 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: tuo yuan xuan gou zi

English: yellow Himalayan raspberry

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Stout, weakly climbing, evergreen shrubs; stems often 30-40 dm long, forming impenetrable thickets several m wide, primocanes usually erect, covered with usually spreading prickles up to 5 mm long, floricanes covered with stout, recurved, longitudinally elongate prickles up to 6 mm long and densely covered with slender, spreading prickles, also sparsely to moderately pilose.  Leaves persistent, palmately compound, thick, leaflets 3, broadly obcordate, the terminal one largest, usually 6-8 cm long, 5-6.5 cm wide, those of the primocanes slightly smaller, upper surface sparsely pilose, lower surface densely velvety pilose, midrib with a few small, stout, recurved prickles and smaller straight ones, margins serrate, petiolules 1.5-3 cm long, petiolules and petioles densely covered with long, straight prickles and scattered stout, recurved prickles, also sparsely to moderately pilose.  Flowers in short, terminal panicles, tomentose and covered throughout with short prickles, pedicels 3-10 mm long; petals white, obovate, 7-9 mm long.  Fruit yellow, depressed-hemispherical, ca. 0.8 cm long, glabrous"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1107-1108).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests and forest edges, wet places.  This shrub forms inpenetrable thickets that displace native vegetation and affect wildlife by impeding movement and reducing habitats.  Scattered clumps expand and form in time a continuous cover on the floor"  (Weber, 2003; p. 370).  "A pest of forests and pastures.  Smothers smaller plants and impedes passage"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

In Hawai‘i, found in wet habitats between 700-1,700 m.

Propagation:  Seed dispersed by frugivorous birds and other animals. The plants spread locally from underground shoots. The species regenerates rapidly from underground shoots after fire.

Native range:  "Tropical and subtropical India, widely grown as an ornamental in warm regions" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1107-1108).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1107, 1109) Voucher cited: Fosberg 41609 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2007) (pp. 10-11) Var. obcordatus Focke. Voucher cited: R. Smith OISC 004 (BISH). "The surrounding area was surveyed and all located plants were controlled".
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 227) In thickets and on open slopes, altitude 1,300 to 1,600 m.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 7)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Slopes, montane valleys, sparse forests, thickets, roadsides; 300-2600 m".
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Control:  See "Blackberry control manual: management and control options for blackberry (Rubus spp.) in Australia"  (Victoria Dept. Prim. Ind., 2009).

Physical: Isolated plants may be grubbed out, but any remaining roots will sprout.

Chemical:  "Effective control was achieved by drizzle application of triclopyr ester at 40% in water and picloram at 20% in water applied to cut stumps.  Applications to cut stumps with 50% imazapyr product in water, 50% triclopyr amine product in water, triclopyr ester in diesel oil and metsulfuron (about 1 oz./qt. or 28 g/l) were effective.  Applications of 20% picloram product and 50% of Crossbow® (Dow Agrosciences) in water were less effective.  Sensitive to foliar applications of triclopyr at 1 lb/acre and metsulfuron at 0.75 oz./acre.  Also very sensitive to triclopyr at 1 lb/acre applied by drizzle application in a crop oil carrier.  HAVO staff reported control with foliar application of glyphosate at 1% product or cut-stump applications at 10% product in water (Chris Zimmer, HAVO)"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:
Excerpt from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Rubus ellipticus factsheet from PCA-APWG.
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.

Additional online information about Rubus ellipticus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Rubus ellipticus as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Rubus ellipticus may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex. 2007. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:8-13.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

Santos, Gregory L./Linda W. Cuddihy, Linda W./Stone, Charles P. 1991. Control of Himalayan raspberry (Rubus ellipticus Sm.) with cut stump herbicide treatments in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai‘i, Department of Botany. Technical Report 80.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Victoria, Australia, Department of Primary Industry. 2009. Blackberry control manual: management and control options for blackberry (Rubus spp.) in Australia. 96 pp.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).