by Meg McConahey

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

But the berry Luther Burbank imported from India and selected for its vigor, size and good tasting fruit back in the 1890s, proved so vigorous it is now on "the most wanted" list.

Yes, it was Sonoma County's favorite son who is responsible for introducing the Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor), now regarded as one of the West Coast's most notoriously invasive plants.

It was a worthy pursuit for horticulturists in Burbank's time.  In the early 1900s Sonoma County was a big producer of caneberries and the Himalayan, as Burbank named it, showed a lot of promise.

"It had all the characteristics Burbank was going for," said Bob Hornback, a horticultural historian and expert on Burbank's work.  "He thought it was pretty hot stuff.  Of course, he had no idea it would take off."

The Himalayan blackberry not only took off, it ran amok, spreading far and wide through bird droppings.  Really a shrubby weed that is a member of the rose family, the Himalayan blackberry can alter ecosystems by thwarting native berry species.  It creates such tall, thorny, impenetrable thickets that it can kill smaller native species.

So ubiquitous is this brambling berry, however, that many people mistake it for a wild native. "There are several different variants of it," said Hornback.  "Some are thornier than others and some have less fruit and some have more fruit.  Nobody is currently growing it commercially.  But you don't have to because it's in everyone's garden anyway.

"It's a little bit tender to cold, so you won't find it growing back East.  It wouldn't survive the winter," he added.  "But in Middle Eastern climates or near the coast or near a creek, it just goes wild.  They just take care of themselves."

If you're looking for a true native berry adapted to this climate, the native California huckleberry, (Vaccinium ovatum Pursh), a relative of the blueberry, is a better one to invite into your yard.

They're small, but the flavor is more intense, and once they're established, they don't need summer watering like other berries, said Margaret Graham, co-owner of Mostly Natives Nursery in Tomales.

For something more ornamental, consider the native Rubus parvifloras or thimbleberry.  They're not particularly tasty, Graham said, but they are beneficial to birds and are attractive with their large, maple-shaped leaves and white blossoms that become berries in late June and July. Growing up to 8 feet tall and just as wide, they are good in woodland settings, Graham said.

The salmonberry or Rubus spectabilus, another native, is also a showy landscape plant that produces an intense pink flower and ripe berries that, while not as tasty as huckleberries, are better than thimbleberries.  Or one could choose the Rubus leucodermis, a type of native raspberry.  It also is not as good as those bred for the trade but, unlike commercial varieties, they need very little water and they are good for wildlife, Graham said.

Despite the Himalayan debacle, Burbank developed 10 varieties of fine berries.  One that is downright intriguing is "Snowbank," a white fruited blackberry that is a true albino, without pigment.  You can stuff your mouth with blackberries and say, Look, ma - no stains!

"It has all the flavor of a blackberry but it's milky white," said Hornback, who found one in a mail order catalog 30 years ago and planted it at Burbank's Gold Ridge Farm in Sebastopol.  Now it is one of the most popular items for sale at both Gold Ridge and the Burbank Home and Gardens in Santa Rosa.

Burbank developed it as a joke, or as sort of a dare, said Hornback.  A friend once bet Burbank he couldn't produce a white blackberry.  But the plant wizard took it on as a challenge, working five years to come up with "Snowbank" in the 1890s.

It's very upright and rapid growing, getting up to 8 feet tall.  "The foliage is very narrow and truthfully, it looks a lot like marijuana," said Hornback.  "It's thorny as heck.  It's not something to tangle with.  But, oh my - it's such a trip to look up and see those white berries on this blackberry plant."