Hi all, I'm a novice gardener, just moved into a new property on southern Vancouver Island. I've started cutting out the blackberry tangles that are taking over our neglected garden, and I've noticed an occasional vine with a blue-tinged stem. Is this just a normal colour variant, or perhaps something different, like a native blackberry? Thanks for any input. I'll try get a photo up if that helps.
Sounds like it may be Black Raspberry, which are often found next to Blackberry. Black Raspberry leaves often have whitish undersides, are comprised of three leaflets, have round stems, and have smaller thorns than Blackberry.
thanks for the tip - the photos here look like what I've got: http://identifythatplant.com/blackberry-or-black-raspberry/ A lucky find: black raspberry is good cancer prevention! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827163933.htm
Re: a lucky find: same common name, but different species of plant. The black raspberry they used in their study was Rubus occidentalis, the one you are seeing is Rubus leucodermis.
That is correct. Although closely related, Rubus leucodermis is native to Western North America while R. occidentalis is native to Eastern North America. R. leucodermis is also known as blackcap raspberry, black raspberry, whitebark raspberry, or blue raspberry.
Since Joanne describes it as a vine, I wonder if it might not be Rubus ursinus. It is trailing and also has blue/gray stems. It is a blackberry though and is easy to distinguish by the fruit.
