Rubus spectabilis

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry) is a species of Rubus native to the west coast of North America from northwestern Alaska (e.g. Unalakleet, AK) to California.

It is a shrub growing to 1–4 m tall, with perennial, not biennial woody stems (unlike other species). The leaves are trifoliate, 7–22 cm long, the terminal leaflet larger than the two side leaflets. The leaf margins are toothed. The flowers are 2–3 cm diameter, with five purple petals; they are produced from early spring to early summer. The fruit matures in late summer to early autumn, and resembles a large yellow to orange-red raspberry 1.5-2 cm long with many drupelets.

In the Pacific Northwest of North America the berries can ripen from mid-June to late-July.

Salmonberries are found in moist forests and stream margins, especially in the coastal forests. They often form large thickets, and thrive in the open spaces under stands of Red Alder (Alnus rubra).

Salmonberries are edible and share the fruit structure of the raspberry, with the fruit pulling away from its receptacle. Books often call the fruit "insipid" but depending on ripeness and site, they are good eaten raw and when processed into jam, candy, jelly and wine.

It is widely grown as an ornamental plant for its flowers. A double-flowered form was discovered in at the mouth of the Duckabush_River, Jefferson County, Washington around May 1, 1961, by Dr. R. C. Creelman of Bremerton, Washington. This has been given the cultivar name 'Olympic Double' or 'Olympic'. Another double salmonberry was found by Phyllis Munday of Vancouver BC, but neither the date nor the site has been determined. This double may be confused in gardens with 'Olympic Double'.

It has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in parts of northwestern Europe, including Great Britain, Ireland and the Faroe Islands.

Read about Rubus spectabilis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Rubus spectabilis, Pursh (Parmena spectabilis, Greene). Salmonberry. Strong-growing, reaching 5-15 ft., glabrous: spines few or often none, weak: lvs. of 3 ovate-acuminate lfts., which are doubly serrate-toothed and sometimes indistinctly lobed, long-stalked, thin, glabrous or becoming so beneath: fls. solitary or in 2's, large, red or purple: fr. large, somewhat conical, salmon-color or wine-red, edible, the drupelets bearing the persistent styles. Calif, and Idaho to Alaska. —Sometimes cult. for its showy fls. and frs. Canes perennial. Var. Menziesii, Wats. (R. franciscanus, Rydb.), has lvs. densely pubescent or silky underneath. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

Gallery

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  Mature fruit in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

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  Salmonberry in hand

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  Colander of Salmonberries

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  Salmonberry about to be eaten

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Rubus spectabilis. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Rubus spectabilis QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)