Maintenance of Clonal Plant Germplasm

Abstract

Rubus parviflorus Nutt., the thimbleberry, shown in bloom on the cover, is a common native of the Pacific Coast region of North America. It and an associated species, R. spectabilis Pursh, the salmonberry, have a raspberry-type fruit. The R. parviflorus fruit has many small drupelets and is a dark-red color, while R. spectabilis has fewer, larger drupelets and is a light-orange color. Both species are unusual in that they are semishrubs with perennial rather than biennial canes. The mode of inheritance of this perennial character, also present in a few other species, has not been studied, although some crosses to cultivated species have been made. The perennial cane character may provide a useful alternative to the current labor-intensive biennial type.