Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Scientific Name Rubus argutus Link
Family Rosaceae
Other Names Prickly Florida Blackberry, 'ohelo 'ele'ele (transl. "black `ohelo")
Status Alien
Distribution & Habitat Native to central and eastern United States; in Hawai'i a serious weed in disturbed habitats, 200-2,300 m, on Kaua'i, o'ahu, Maui, and Hawai'i (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1107).
Locations in this Guide Kipuka Puaulu, Thurston Lava Tube, Mid-Elevation Woodland, Park Headquarters, Mauna Loa Strip Road
General Appearance
This is an erect to arching shrub with long arching stiff stems.  It has numberous prickles and forms very dense growths in many areas (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1107).

The stems are green or reddish (Stone and Pratt 1994: 253).

 1974 Flow (at the Mid-Elevation Woodland)

Kipuka Puaulu
Leaves
The leaves are palmately compound with the leaflets each with a similar shape.  The leaflet size ranges from 8 to 13 cm long and 3.5 to 5 cm wide (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1107).  There are either three or five leaflets (Stone and Pratt 1994: 253).

There are some prickles on the lower midrib.  The leaflet margin is irregularly serrate (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1107).

The leaves may turn bronze or red in the winter.  These leaves will be dropped (Stone and Pratt 1994: 253).

 Strip Road, above Kipuka Puaulu

1974 flow (at the Mid-Elevation Woodland)

 Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

 1974 flow (at the Mid-Elevation Woodland)
Flowers & Fruits
The flowers occur in short racemes.  The five petals are white and obovate in shape.  They range from 13 to 20 mm long. Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

 Kipuka Puaulu
The fruits are black at maturity.  They range in size from 1.5 to 2 cm long (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1107). Kipuka Puaulu

Kilauea Military Camp

 Kipuka Puaulu

Mid-Elevation Woodland (on 1974 flow)

 Strip Road, above Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

 1974 flow (at the Mid-Elevation Woodland)
Phenology
Natural History According to Stone and Pratt (1994: 253), this species was introduced in Hawai`i around 1900 from the eastern US.  It has been recognized as a pest in the Park since the early 1930s.
Conservation This species is often associated with cattle grazing.  While it was thought that the large infestations might decrease after grazing had stopped, this doesn't appear to have happened over the past 50 years of recovery.  The Park currently is attempting to control this pest with herbicides (Stone and Pratt 1994: 253).
Miscellaneous Photos
Rubus argutus is a major pest species in the Park.  Considerable effort is being applied to reduce some of the major invasive populations, such as this one in Kipuka Puaulu. Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu
Other Notes
References
Links to Other Sites
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Last Updated: 08/05/03

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