Attached is photo of (I believe) Rubus Alleganiensis growing wild in the big bend area of Burnaby. It seems to be established and virus-free. The berries that followed the flowers were quite edible but not as sweet as they would have been in full sun. Can anyone confirm the naturalization of this species in B.C.?
The plant in the photo might be Rubus allegheniensis - it's hard to tell without a closeup of some of the details. Going through the key in the Illustrated Flora of British Columbia (Volume 4) by Douglas, Meidinger and Pojar, it keys out to either R. allegheniensis (the Allegheny blackberry) or Rubus armeniacus (the Himalayan blackberry). Your question regarding whether Rubus allegheniensis has established itself in the Lower Mainland is answered by the Illustrated Flora of British Columbia - it is listed as being locally frequent in the lower Fraser Valley. By the way, for those who are familiar with Rubus discolor or Rubus procerus as the scientific names for Himalayan blackberry, there was an article in the August 1999 issue of the Botanical Electronic News about the name change. Here's a link to the article. Best regards!
