Plant Data Sheet
Salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis
Climate, elevation:
Local occurrence:
Common,
more often found west of Cascades
Habitat preferences:
Mesic
sites. Fairly shade tolerant, also found in clearings. Riparian forests, river
terraces, seeps, and swamps
Plant strategy type/successional stage:
Ruderal,
can colonize disturbed areas after fire, logging or other disturbance type
by seed or by rhizomes / most often early seral stage
(Franklin and Dyrness, 1988), can tolerate mature deciduous forest understory
(Tirmenstein,
1989)
Associated species
Seed, Salvaged if young and/or small <4' tall, Layered, or Cut to produce offshoots from root crown, (Leigh, 1999)
Semi-hardwood
cuttings (Young, 2001)
Collection restrictions or guidelines:
Seed
ripens June through August in Washington, (Rose
et al, 1998) it is ripe when fruit
is red, yellow or orange and soft. (Tirmenstein,
1989)
Seed germination:
Hard seed coat requires mechanical or chemical (sulfuric acid or 1% sodium hyperchlorite solution) scarification for 20-60 minutes, seven days prior to cold stratification. (Rose et al, 1998)
Dormant
embryo requires stratification, first warm at 20-30
degrees C for 90 days, then cold at 2-5 degrees C for additional 90 days.
Seed life:
Dried
seed can be stored several years
Recommended seed storage conditions:
5
degrees C.
Propagation recommendations:
Can reproduce sexually or asexually. Produces seed with or without pollination (apomictic), on two year old or older stems.
Sprouts easily from rhizomes, root crown, or stump. Layers from aerial canes (Tirmenstein, 1989)
Easily grown from root cuttings (Leigh 1999)
For propagating by seed according to Rose et al (1998):
Macerate fruit in water and float off pulp and empty seed
Dry seed
Follow germination requirements above
The following protocol for cuttings is from, Young, (2001) working in California:
Hardwood cuttings are collected between November 1st and January 31st.
Cutting diameter, 1.2 cm Cutting length, 25 cm with min. 8 nodes
Cuttings kept moist and cool prior to treatment
Cuttings dipped in a mild bleach solution for 30 seconds
Cuttings recut to 10 cm and min 3 nodes
Cuttings treated with Hormex (3000 ppm IBA) rooting powder and struck 100/flat, 5cm deep in 3:1 perlite/vermiculite
Flats in greenhouse and watered with automatic mist until roots develop.
~50% rooting
Soil or medium requirements:
3:1 Perlite/Vermiculite (Young, 2001)
Installation form:
5 cm x 25 cm tube containers (Deepot 40) containing standard potting mix of peat moss, fir bark, perlite, and sand.
Transplant
Survival averages 50%.
Recommended planting density:
Care requirements after installed:
Water once every 2-3 weeks during first summer following transplanting, unless site has adequate summer soil moisture
Sources cited
[Accessed 14 April 2003]
Matthew
Ramsay, April 14, 2003