Hi, new to the forum and gardening in general, would love the input from some of you about this. I was walking in my woods doing some foraging and came across this bright red from far away and went to investigate. It is in the rubus family I’m fairly certain, cant tell rasp/black yet but I just bought some so I will start learning about them as I plant them. This was just a bright red branch- foliage and cane a full red color, not just leaf margins, I noticed it is attached to an otherwise normal green leaved and green caned thicket of with tons of rubus and ferns spread around the area. All in all a sea of green with this one branch that stands out.
I cannot seem to find information online about this- only that red leaves can indicate a problematic pH. Well these are native and my forest soil is pretty acidic (Northeast/New England), and every other rubus around is verdant and healthy, so I dont think thats it. I’ve read of sport mutations, could this be one?
Never been here before in my life, will probably go back and try to see if I can sample the berries at one point soon.
That looks like a rose (Rosa which is related to Rubus). Many varieties of rose do normally have red pigment in the tender new growth like what is pictured.
Yes! I believe it is, thank you that explains it. To my (untrained) eye the leaves do indeed look similar, and I spotted many unripe blackberries a few feet away in every direction in this clearing among the ferns and weeds. Will definitely return to try the berries and get more shrooms but bummer it’s a rose, oh well.
So this will fade as it does on most plants correct?
Mutations or sports are fairly common in nature- many apple varieties have several mutations that are selected for patent. This season I have my eyes on a small branch in a J.plum tree that is as red as that multiflora rose shoot (I’m guessing). It has a plum as red as its leaves. I’ve heard of the Hollywood plum but I’m waiting to see if this plum will taste better than average. The foliage is extremely ornamental as is the fruit. It’s in a client’s orchard so it may ripen and fall before I find out how good it is, and its an old tree with inadequate vigor. However, I will give it extra N and try to keep it going.
