Himalayan Blackberry

What is Himalayan blackberry?

Himalayan blackberry is a big, thorny bramble that actually comes from the Armenia region, not the Himalayas. It was reportedly brought to North America by Luther Burbank and was used to develop the marionberry, but it escaped cultivation and now forms thickets across the West and in parts of the East. Himalayan blackberry identification comes down to the canes and the leaves: stout, ridged canes with hooked thorns, five toothed leaflets, and a white or silvery underside on each leaf.

The berries are good, which is why many people put up with it, but the plant takes over. Canes root at their tips and new shoots rise from the crown every year, building walls of thorns that shade out native plants, keep trees from establishing, and shut out people, pets, livestock and wildlife. Old dead canes are a fire hazard, the thickets shelter rats near homes, and in grape-growing areas they can harbor Pierce's disease.

Himalayan Blackberry identification: what to look for

Start with the canes and leaves, since berries are around only part of the year. Turn a leaf over: a white to silvery underside and five rounded, toothed leaflets point to Himalayan blackberry. Put on thick gloves before you grab anything.

• Canes: Thick, green to reddish-purple, strongly angled, arching and up to 20 to 40 feet long. First-year canes only grow leaves; second-year canes flower, fruit and die.
• Thorns: Large, sharp, hooked prickles with broad bases, up to about 3/4 inch long, often turning reddish in late summer.
• Leaves: Palmately compound, usually with five oval, toothed leaflets; green above, white to silver beneath.
• Flowers: White to light pink, five petals, about an inch across, in flat-topped clusters.
• Fruit: Shiny black berries made of many small drupelets, red before they ripen.
• Rooting: Cane tips that touch the ground take root and start new plants.

Where it grows in the United States

Himalayan blackberry is most widespread in the western United States, especially the Pacific Northwest and California, and it also grows in Hawaii, the Northeast and other eastern areas. Some states do not have it yet; Wisconsin, for example, has no confirmed sites and asks people to report any they find. It ranges from coastal estuaries up to about 4,900 feet.

It favors sunny, disturbed ground but tolerates partial shade, flooding, drought and poor soil. Stream banks are especially vulnerable because a patch often goes unnoticed until it is well established. Expect it along roads, railroads, power-line corridors, fence lines, vacant lots, logged ground, field edges and open woods. Actively farmed land tends to keep it in check.

Himalayan Blackberry look-alikes

A few plants get mixed up with it:

• Cutleaf (evergreen) blackberry (Rubus laciniatus): Also thorny, evergreen and five-angled, but its five leaflets are very deeply cut and lacy rather than simply toothed.
• Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis): A native eastern bramble whose leaves are the same color on both sides, often hairy underneath, longer with a drawn-out tip, and whose canes do not root at the tips.
• California blackberry (Rubus ursinus): A native western blackberry with round stems, three leaflets and leaves that drop in winter.

How to get rid of Himalayan blackberry

Pulling, digging and mowing: Cut canes back to about a foot so you can reach the crown, then dig out the root ball and as many side roots as possible; removing crowns and rhizomes to about 6 inches deep is very effective. Dig in early spring or late fall when the soil is moist, because dry, hard ground snaps roots and leaves pieces that resprout, and a single shallow digging can actually spread rhizomes. Cutting alone works only if you keep at it, clipping regrowth whenever canes reach about 2 feet. Heavy black landscape fabric left in place for at least two growing seasons can smother a small patch. Burning removes top growth but not roots. Wear thick gloves and long sleeves, and dispose of all canes and roots.

Cultural control matters most, because the right conditions keep it from coming back.

• Goats are the best grazers for blackberry, and sheep, cattle and horses help too; grazing slows it but won't eliminate it unless the pressure stays high.
• After digging or treatment, plant desirable vegetation so bare ground doesn't fill back in with brambles.
• Do big clearing jobs in late summer, when moisture-stressed plants recover more slowly.
• Plan for at least two years of persistent work; one round of control rarely finishes the job.

Herbicides: Triclopyr and glyphosate, alone or combined, are the main herbicides used; glyphosate is sometimes combined with imazapyr, and Wisconsin also names 2,4-D and metsulfuron for open, grassy areas. Spray actively growing plants: glyphosate works best in late summer or early fall after flowering and before frost, while triclopyr ester works best in late spring or early summer. Above about 80°F, use glyphosate or amine triclopyr instead of the ester. Cut-stump treatments work best in spring or fall with herbicide applied right after cutting, and basal treatment with concentrated triclopyr ester works almost any time, including after berry season. Glyphosate kills any plant it hits and triclopyr harms other broadleaf plants, and ester triclopyr and imazapyr are not registered near water. Use products labeled for your site, follow the label (it is the law), and expect to retreat. If you hire someone to spray, make sure they hold your state’s pesticide applicator license; the rules for each state are in our pesticide applicator license guide.

Keeping it from coming back

Don't plant Himalayan blackberry for fruit, and remove new seedlings and rooted cane tips while they are small. Birds and other animals drop seed under fences, trees and power lines, so check those spots every year.

Keep stream banks, fence lines and field edges covered with healthy desirable plants. A small patch removed early saves years of work later.

Questions we get about Himalayan blackberry

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