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We suddenly have new kind of weed that I've never seen before. It's light green, looks somewhat like a tomato plant, grows to about 5', small green thorns top to bottom and now starting to put out red raspberry-type berries. And it spreads like crazy. It's easy to pull out but the source is my neighbor's jungle so I can only keep it from spreading. I've googled my little butt off and checked BIISC too but don't see anything resembling it. Does anyone have any idea what this might be?
Certainty will be the death of us.
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08-07-2022, 02:37 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-07-2022, 02:38 AM by Rob Tucker.)
Is this it?
A notice went out in 2021 on this new invasive weed which, as I recall, is poisonous for some livestock.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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No, not even close. Leaves look like tomato leaves, flower is white, 1" diameter, 5 petals. They strongly resemble a strawberry flower. Thanks for trying though.
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It sounds a lot like Hawaiian Thimbleberry/Mauritius Raspberry - Rubus Rosifolius.
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That's it! Thanks, PunaBaer. I read that it's found on all the islands but I'd never seen it before this summer. It has a germination rate of 90%. Yipes! Berries are just forming and I'm pulling out as much as I can. The berries are edible but not real tasty.
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It may be new to you but its not new at all and isn't a problematic invasive. Been here for all my life on the islands (40+) years.
I won't use poisons and it isn't a very woody plant so it weedwhacks down very easily. But I don't do that to these plants. The berries taste good to me. They stay in their corner on my land and I don't see them spreading anywhere else in the 40 or more years on this property. Really a no biggie whatsoever.
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Mine showed up in the spring for the first time on my neighbor's land and in a couple months spread 15' into my yard, which is barefoot-friendly and these definitely don't comply. I pull them by the roots. But I'm glad to know it's not something new.
Certainty will be the death of us.
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It could be that you're in a different micro-climate than me and it grows more prolifically where you are. I'm in Hawaiian Acres.
On a different note, I have had second thoughts about freely going outside and grounding barefoot. Health issues lead to lots of research and this is pretty disturbing and definitely present in Hawaii:
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/strongyloi...%20disease.
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Yeah, that's scary but having already cast my lot with the Pohoiki hot pond bacteria, I'm going to continue to push my luck with my bare feet in the yard. Life just isn't safe.
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Rubus rosifolius its not native, its also not that invasive compared to all the others in that family. Many think its from the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, but its also from areas much closer like Australia, PNG, Vanuatu, etc.
far less a prob than FL Black Berry or the worst one Himalayan Raspberry
