Rubus spectabilis Pursh
salmonberry
Rosaceae (Rose family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Kevin Newell     (Photo ID #2468)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Rubus spectabilis
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Medium to tall shrub, 1-4 m tall, from extensive rhizomes, often thicket-forming; stems erect to arching, unarmed to strongly bristly, especially below, the bristles short and straight; bark yellowish-brown, shredding.
Leaves:
Alternate, deciduous, pinnately compound, 7-22 cm long; leaflets 3, egg-shaped, 3-15 cm long, shallowly lobed and double-saw-toothed, sharply long-pointed at the tip, greenish on both surfaces, smooth to sparsely hairy above, paler and hairy on the veins beneath; stipules linear, 5-10 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of mostly 1 or 2 stalked, nodding flowers on short, leafy, lateral branchlets; corollas rosy red to reddish-purple, bowl-shaped, the petals 5, spreading, elliptic to egg-shaped, 10-25 mm long; calyces hairy, 5-lobed, the lobes lance-egg-shaped, spreading, 7-15 mm long; ovaries superior; stamens 75 to 100.
Fruits:
Drupelets, smooth, more or less coherent in a yellow or salmon to dark red cluster that falls intact from the semi-fleshy receptacle (raspberry-like), the berries 1.5-2 cm long.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Early Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Red
Present over the Spring
Source:  The USDA

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Rubus spectabilis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
247 0 2050
Slope Gradient (%)
18 0 150

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

270 0 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
4 0 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
3112
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

CDF(117), CWH(2616), ESSF(37), ICH(47), IDF(3), MH(119), MS(9), SBS(20)

Habitat and Range

Moist to wet forests, swamps and streambanks in the lowland and montane zones; common in coastal BC; N to AK and S to CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia