Invasiveness Assessment - Giant bramble (Rubus alceifolius) in Victoria
Back | Table | Feedback
Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.
| Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here. |
The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Giant bramble.
A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1 MB)
To view the information PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link).
Common Name: Giant bramble
Scientific name: Rubus alceifolius
| Question | Comments | Rating | Confidence |
| Establishment | |||
| Germination requirements? | “Seeds germinate at any time of the year providing moisture is available but mainly in December – January” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). | H | MH |
| Establishment requirements? | “Sunny slopes, mixed forest in valleys, boggy thickets, roadsides, rock crevices” (Lingdi & Boufford, 2003). “Seeds germinated along forest paths and in clearings…Seed germination [occurred] in an opening in the forest canopy” (Baret et al., 2003). This suggests the need for some direct light. | ML | H |
| How much disturbance is required? | Developing or run-down pastures, wet gullies, creekbanks, perimeter of rainforest areas, along roadsides (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). Disturbed rainforest and logging tracks (DNRM, 2005). Establishes in highly disturbed natural ecosystems. | ML | MH |
| Growth/Competitive | |||
| Life form? | Scandent shrub to 5 m with arching or climbing branches (Lingdi & Boufford, 2003) that can reach to the top of the canopy in forest (Baret et. al, 2003). | ML | H |
| Allelopathic properties? | None recorded in Parsons & Cuthbertson (1992). | L | M |
| Tolerates herb pressure? | No information found. | M | L |
| Normal growth rate? | Vigorous (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). | H | MH |
| Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc? | Grows in boggy thickets (Lingdi & Boufford, 2003). “Proliferates on the…coasts…from sea level” (Baret et. al, 2003). Tolerates waterlogging and salinity. The types of vegetation in which this plant grows e.g. Rainforest (Bean, 1997) and other humid, wet habitats (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992), suggests that this plant does not tolerate drought and probably does not tolerate frost either. | ML | MH |
| Reproduction | |||
| Reproductive system | Vegetative (Baret et. al, 2003) and seed (Baret et. al, 2004). | H | H |
| Number of propagules produced? | More than 10,000 seeds per sq metre were found under patches of R. alceifolius (Baret, Bourgeois & Strasberg, 2005). Fruit production averaged between 30 and 80 fruits/m2 (Baret et. al, 2004). “Each flower possesses ~100 separate styles and stigmas” (Amsellem, Noyer & Hossaert-McKey, 2001) so you could predict that over a m2, this plant could produce 100 x 80 = 8,000 seeds. | H | H |
| Propagule longevity? | “A small proportion of these seeds remained viable in the soil for many years” (Baret, Le Bourgeois & Strasberg, 2005), suggesting that they probably survive for more than 5 years. | M | L |
| Reproductive period? | No information found | M | L |
| Time to reproductive maturity? | Flowers produced in second year of the plant’s growth (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992). | MH | MH |
| Dispersal | |||
| Number of mechanisms? | Seed. “Capacity to form roots…with or without soil contact” (Baret et. al, 2003). | H | H |
| How far do they disperse? | “Spread occurs when the succulent fruit is eaten by birds and animals, and seeds are voided in their droppings” (Parsons & Cuthbertson, 1992) so some seeds are very likely to disperse more than 1 km. | H | MH |
Feedback
Do you have additional information about this plant that will improve the quality of the assessment?
If so, we would value your contribution. Click on the link to go to the feedback form.
© State of Victoria (Agriculture Victoria) 1996 - .
This work, Victorian Resources Online, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria (Agriculture Victoria) as author, indicate if changes were made and comply with the other licence terms.
The licence does not apply to ‘branding’ or some ‘images or photographs’ that may be owned by third parties. We ask you to seek prior approval to use images using the VRO feedback form. Access to higher quality images can also be provided on request.
This page was last updated on .