North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] VEGETERIAN

Some crabapple species are invasive, and though I see volunteer apples of the cultivated species popping up here and there, here in Oregon, I wouldn't call them invasive.  The Himalaya blackberry IS invasive here, though the fruit is quite good.  The Evergreen blackberry is also invasive here.  Problem is, anything that might be brought in to control the invasive types, (insects and diseases) would also attack the cultivated types, and they are big business here, so the invaders keep spreading.  Something that can layer itself 20 feet from the original plant, come up from any root piece left in the ground, and spread seedlings anywhere birds go HAS to be considered invasive.
> -Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, more, plus word on The Grape Grower at http://www.bunchgrapes.com

From: "Mike Levine" <mlevine@umich.edu>
> Reply-To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 20:35:43 -0400
> To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] VEGETERIAN

>  
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: Denny Davidson <mailto:ddavidson@mwci.net>  
> > To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org 
> > Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 10:43 AM
> > Subject: [NAFEX] VEGETERIAN
> >  
> > You asked...
> >  
> > ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT PROPIGATING APPLES ETC MAY NOT BE ETHICAL? THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVEN'T CONSIDERED..  WOW...DENNIS DAVIDSON ZONE 5 N. ILLINOIS
> >  
> > I haven't found apples to be invasive in my area, although I suppose it's possible somewhere else given the right set of environmental factors.  You have to know your own home place for what are weeds and what are not.  In my area (and many others) Autumn Olive/Russian Olive (Eleagnus spp.), European Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus), and Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) have edible fruits and are all generally agreed to be invasive species.  I suppose Multiflora rose (Rosa Multiflora) is edible too, although a little bitter compared to roses with larger hips.  There are also the Himalayan blackberries all over the west coast and other places.  Lots of people don't mind these, but I know many west coast gardeners and ecologists who battle it and insist its a big problem.  Besides, the cultivated varieties of blackberries really do taste better anyway and are usually not quite as agressive.  Someone also had also mentioned something about the rootstocks of bradford pears have been spreading around the New England States...
> >  
> > Mike Levine
> > Ann Arbor, MI